Marsala, Italy

Marsala (Maissala in the local dialect, Marsala in Sicilian) is an Italian town of 82 220 inhabitants. It is the first municipality by population of the free municipal consortium of Trapani.

The city is famous for the landing of Garibaldi and the Thousand on 11 May 1860 and for the production of the homonymous Marsala wine, for which, since 1987, it has been a City of Wine. It stands on the ruins of the ancient Punic cities of Lilibeo (Lilybaeum in Latin), from whose name comes the nickname of Lilibetani for its inhabitants and of Mozia, located within the "Isole dello Stagnone di Marsala" nature reserve.

Sights

Religious architecture

Cathedral of St. Thomas of Canterbury - Mother Church: building completed in the 17th century with the dignity of a cathedral, built on a Norman layout dating back to 1176 on a basilica basis. It preserves an organ with 4,317 pipes.
Church of Santa Maria dell'Itria: place of worship dedicated to the Madonna Odigitria with adjoining convent of the Fathers of the Order of barefoot Augustinians.
Church of the Carmine and convent of the Order of the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel under the title of the «Annunziata» (deconsecrated, now a representative office and Municipal Art Gallery - Exhibition of contemporary painting)
Church of San Giovanni Battista.
Sanctuary of Maria Santissima della Cava di Marsala.
Church of Purgatory, seat of the primitive Congregation of the souls in Purgatory.
Church of San Giuseppe, built by the Archconfraternity of San Giuseppe.
St. Matthew's Church.
Church of the Addolorata.
Church of San Pietro and monastery of the nuns of the Benedictine Order. After decades of neglect, the buildings have been renovated and transformed into a cultural center which includes: the Salvatore Struppa Municipal Library, the Civic Museum (Garibaldine Risorgimento section, archeology and popular traditions), the International Center for Risorgimento Studies and the International Phoenician - Punic and Roman.
Church of Sant'Antonino and convent of the Franciscan Order.
Church of San Francesco d'Assisi and convent of the Franciscan Order.
Church of Sant'Anna
Church of Santo Stefano and monastery of the Reformed Augustinian Order. The church is part of the monastic complex built between 1603 and 1607 on the site of the ancient residence of the noble Ferro family, probably the seat of the ancient Roman praetors - where Pontius Pilate also allegedly stayed - then used by the Saracens as the seat of government. In the 16th century the site was purchased by the grain merchant Stefano Frisella who, embittered by the fact of not having had a male heir, founded a monastery for his daughter Francesca, excluded, due to her bourgeois origins, from the more prestigious monastery of San Pietro which it welcomed only noble girls together with the monastery of San Girolamo. Frisella entrusted the convent to the Augustinian Scalze, Francesca was named abbess. The church with a single nave has a decorative stucco work by the Marsala sculptor Vincenzo Giglio inspired by the style of Giacomo Serpotta. Today the monastery houses the "Vincenzo Pipitone" school and the "Giovanni XXIII" classical high school. Of the primitive building, a tower on the corner between via Lombardi and via Frisella, and the square cloister with portico are still preserved. The nuns' cells have been transformed into classrooms.
Church of San Girolamo and monastery managed according to the rule of Sant'Agostino (reformed barefoot Augustinians). The institution welcomed orphan girls from noble families. Work to build the monastery began on 12 September 1587. The temple was destroyed by air raids on 11 May 1943. The archaeological area of San Girolamo is located a short distance from the church of Purgatorio, halfway along the axis that connects the Cathedral of San Tommaso di Canterbury in Piazza Carmine.

Civil architectures

Palazzo VII Aprile (16th/17th century), built on the site of the previous Loggia dei Pisani.
Cine Teatro Impero, from the fascist era
Monument to the Thousand
Skyscraper building
Tonnara of San Teodoro

Military architectures

Marsala Castle
Gates and fortified walls (Porta Garibaldi, Porta Nuova)
Spanish military district (today seat of the town hall of the municipality of Marsala)

Other

Wine establishments
The production of wine on an industrial scale was introduced in the city in 1773 by the Englishman John Woodhouse. There are many important establishments including those of Ingham-Whitaker, the Florio, Pellegrino, Cantine Bianchi and Donnafugata cellars.

Natural areas

Of great attraction is the regional nature reserve of the Stagnone Islands which takes its name from the homonymous lagoon, as well as an archipelago comprising several islands including Mozia.

The Stagnone is a lagoon that has become a nature reserve because it is an ideal habitat for reproduction and refreshment for many animal species; among these the pink flamingos which increasingly – and in increasingly numerous groups – choose the Stagnone and in particular the Isola Grande (commonly known as Isola Lunga) as a resting place. The Stagnone is one of the very few natural habitats in the world for Posidonia, a rare quality of marine plant. Isola Lunga can be reached on foot from the Birgi promontory, exactly from the ancient San Teodoro watchtower. On the long island there is an abandoned Romanesque-style villa. The archipelago of islets in front of the city of Marsala is completed by the Schole, a very small islet where there are two buildings, in the past used as a hospital for the city struck by the plague in medieval times.

In 2015, on the occasion of Expo 2015, the salt marshes and the lagoon of the Stagnone were chosen, through a competition organized by Expo and FAI, as a place of the heart of Italians.

Museums

Baglio Anselmi Archaeological Museum. It is the largest museum in Marsala, in terms of importance and number of exhibits. It was set up ad hoc to house a find among the major attractions of Marsala, namely the Punic ship of Marsala, a ship found at Punta Alga, on the north coast. According to some studies it was used during the battle of the Egadi islands, which concluded the first Punic war, according to others it was a cargo ship. In addition to it there are numerous artifacts found in the Marsala area and documentation on some Roman houses scattered around the city, proof of the intense building activity that affected the town during the Roman imperial age. The Roman ship of Marausa is also preserved and exhibited in the museum.
Flemish Tapestry Museum, with sets of 16th-century tapestries depicting the Jewish War
Baglio Biesina Agriculture Museum, located in via Salemi to the east of the city, is housed inside the Baglio Biesina, an ancient block surrounded by a beautiful typically Sicilian garden, full of palm trees. Inside the tools and utensils used by farmers, some dating back to the early nineteenth century.
Civic Museum of Marsala:
Archaeological Museum Section;
Giacomo Giustolisi Garibaldi Risorgimento Museum section
Section Museum of Popular Traditions:
Maundy Thursday Museum Section of Marsala;
Sicilian Puppet Museum section ethno-andropological section all sections housed in the monumental complex of San Pietro.
Municipal Art Gallery - Institution for the Exhibition of Contemporary Painting of the City of Marsala, at the Carmine convent.
New Municipal Art Gallery, at Palazzo Grignani.
New Garibaldi Museum, hosted together with a conference room, the headquarters of the Pro Loco and an infopoint at the Monumento ai Mille.
Wine Museum, housed together with the municipal wine shop in Palazzo Fici.
Mirabile museum of peasant traditions and arts - C.da Fossarunza, 198

Libraries

Municipal Library "Salvatore Struppa";
Tree of Stories (children's bookshop);
"Prof. Gianpietro Ballatore" library (library of the Abele Damiani state agricultural technical institute).

Traditions

Sacred traditions
Holy Week
On Holy Thursday the Procession of the Living Mysteries takes place, an itinerant sacred representation with nine groups of figures on the passion of Christ. The following day, Good Friday, the Procession of the Dead Christ and Our Lady of Sorrows takes place. Furthermore, for some years now the rites of Holy Week have been enriched with new events. The evening city Via Crucis takes place on the last Friday of Lent, on Palm Saturday there is the sacred representation of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, on Palm Sunday after the Holy Mass there is the cutting of the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows which then it will be carried in procession on Good Friday, while on Holy Wednesday the Sacred representation of the last supper takes place.

Our Lady of the Quarry
January 19 in Marsala is a local and patronal feast. On this date we celebrate the main patroness and special protector of the city of Marsala, Maria Santissima della Cava. Every year for January 19, the date of the discovery of the statue of the Madonna della Cava, a procession takes place and the statue is carried to the Cathedral of Marsala, where the solemn Eucharistic Celebration is celebrated presided over by the Bishop of Mazara del Vallo and concelebrated by the Archpriest of Marsala and by all the priests of the forania. After mass, the statue is taken back to its shrine.

In 2018, on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the statue, the final procession culminates for the first time with pyromusical games. For the occasion, the extraordinary Marian jubilee of the city of Marsala was announced, which ended on 19 January 2019. The feast of the Municipal Police is also celebrated on 19 January, because the Madonna della Cava has also been proclaimed Patroness of the Police municipality of Marsala.

St. John Baptist
Every 24 June the Municipality with the Parish of St. Thomas of Canterbury (Mother Church) organizes the feast of St. John the Baptist co-patron of Marsala, celebrations that include a procession that culminates with fireworks on the city seafront. For some years the celebrations have been joined by other events including conferences, debates on some current issues (such as bullying, violence against women and feminicide), and musical performances. Furthermore, every year the street markets are held on the seafront. Each year the party has a different theme.

History

Marsala, a city in the province of Trapani in western Sicily, Italy, boasts one of the most layered and strategically significant histories in the Mediterranean. Located on Capo Boeo (also called Lilibeo), it originated as the ancient Punic city of Lilybaeum (Greek Lilýbaion) and later became known by its Arabic-derived name, reflecting its role as a vital harbor. Founded around 396 BC, it served as a key Carthaginian stronghold, Roman port, Arab trade hub, and a pivotal site in Italy’s unification. Today, it is renowned for Marsala wine, archaeological treasures, and its connection to the Risorgimento.

Phoenician Roots and Carthaginian Foundation (8th–3rd centuries BC)
The story of Marsala begins with nearby Motya (modern Mozia or San Pantaleo), a Phoenician colony established around the 8th century BC on a small island in the Stagnone lagoon. Motya was a prosperous trading outpost known for its dye works (possibly linked to the etymology of "Motya" as "spinnery" or related to stagnant waters). In 397 BC, the tyrant Dionysius I of Syracuse destroyed Motya after a prolonged siege. Survivors relocated to the nearby mainland promontory at Capo Boeo, founding Lilybaeum as a new, better-defended Carthaginian settlement.
Carthaginians built Lilybaeum as their principal stronghold in Sicily, with massive fortifications (walls over 10 meters high and 7 meters thick, later reinforced), three interconnected harbors, and a strategic position facing North Africa (the name may derive from a Punic term meaning "facing Libya"). It became a major trade center for goods between Carthage, Sardinia, and other Mediterranean ports. The city resisted multiple sieges, including one by Pyrrhus of Epirus in 278 BC (which lasted two months before he withdrew). The First Punic War effectively began here in 265–264 BC when a Punic army landed and marched to Messina.
The longest and most dramatic episode was the Roman Siege of Lilybaeum (250–241 BC) during the First Punic War. Romans deployed up to 240 ships and four legions, but Carthaginians reinforced the city via sea (including a fleet under Hannibal) and repelled attacks. A Gallic mercenary betrayal plot was foiled. The siege dragged on for nine years until Carthage’s naval defeat at the Aegates Islands in 241 BC forced surrender by treaty. A well-preserved Punic warship from this era (possibly from the Aegates battle) was later recovered offshore and is displayed in Marsala’s Baglio Anselmi Archaeological Museum.

Roman Lilybaeum (241 BC–5th century AD)
Under Roman rule, Lilybaeum flourished as a municipium and one of Sicily’s most important ports. Cicero, quaestor there in 76–75 BC, praised it as splendidissima civitas ("most splendid city"), crediting its harbor for prosperity. The city gained mansions, public buildings, and a grid layout (with the decumanus maximus along modern Viale Vittorio Veneto). It featured rich mosaic floors in homes and public structures.
During the Second Punic War (218 BC), Romans repelled a Carthaginian naval raid in the Battle of Lilybaeum. The city endured sieges in the Roman Civil Wars (43 BC and 38 BC). Walls were gradually abandoned by the 4th century AD as the urban area expanded. Roman baths and other remains have been excavated nearby.

Post-Roman Turmoil and Byzantine Era (5th–8th/9th centuries)
Lilybaeum faced invasions and decline. Vandals ravaged it in the 5th century. It became the seat of a diocese by the early 5th century, with evidence of early Christian necropolises. In 535 AD, it passed to the Byzantine Empire under Justinian, enjoying relative peace, prosperity, and Christian growth (mentioned in Pope Gregory the Great’s letters). However, it suffered from disease, pirate raids, and neglect from Constantinople.

Arab Rule and the Birth of "Marsala" (9th–11th centuries)
Arab conquest in the 9th century revived the town. They renamed it Marsa ʿAlī ("Harbor of ʿAlī"), Marsa ʿāliyy ("Big Harbor"), or more famously Marsa Allāh ("Harbor/Port of God/Allah")—the origin of the modern name Marsala—due to its excellent, wide harbor near Punta d’Alga. Arabs boosted commerce and turned it into a thriving trade port linking Sicily and North Africa. Its influence from Arab culture was particularly strong in western Sicily.

Norman, Medieval, and Spanish Periods (11th–18th centuries)
From the late 11th century, Normans (under Roger I) conquered the area, followed by Swabians, Angevins, and Aragonese. Marsala prospered through trade but faced a major blow in the 16th century when Emperor Charles V ordered the old harbor blocked to deny it to Barbary pirates, causing economic decline. Spanish viceroys authorized salt pans (e.g., Ettore and Infersa) along the Stagnone coast in the late 15th–early 16th centuries, building on ancient Phoenician/Roman salt production traditions that remained vital for preservation and trade.

The Marsala Wine Boom and 19th Century
In the late 18th century, English merchant John Woodhouse (1773) discovered local wines, fortified them with brandy for sea voyages, and exported "Marsala" to Britain—modeled on port and sherry. Other English firms (e.g., Benjamin Ingham) followed. Italian entrepreneur Vincenzo Florio founded his renowned cellars in 1833, spurring infrastructure like the new Margitello harbor and bagli (wineries). This transformed the economy and made Marsala a global wine name.

Italian Unification and Modern History (1860–Present)
On May 11, 1860, Giuseppe Garibaldi and his "Thousand" Redshirts landed at Marsala’s port—the spark for the Expedition of the Thousand and the conquest of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, leading to Italian unification. The event is commemorated as a foundational moment in the Risorgimento.
In World War II, Allied bombardment on May 11, 1943 (ironically the anniversary of Garibaldi’s landing), heavily damaged the Baroque center. Postwar recovery focused on wine, tourism, and archaeology. The Archaeological Park at Capo Boeo reveals Punic/Roman streets, houses, and mosaics; the Baglio Anselmi Museum houses the Punic ship and artifacts. Marsala retains Baroque landmarks like its cathedral (dedicated to St. Thomas Becket, with Flemish tapestries) and thrives on fortified wine production, salt pans, and the Stagnone Nature Reserve.

Geography

Location and Setting
Geographically, Marsala lies at approximately 37°47′53″N 12°26′03″E, south of Trapani and directly overlooking the Aegadian (Egadi) Islands (Favignana, Levanzo, and Marettimo) a few miles offshore. From the cape, views extend across the Mediterranean to these rugged islands and the Stagnone Lagoon immediately to the north. The town occupies a low, rocky promontory that slopes gently toward the sea, with a total commune area of about 243 km² (roughly 94 sq mi) and a 14 km coastline featuring sandy beaches and clear waters.
The broader territory extends inland from the coast into gentle hills and plains, though the urban core and immediate coastal zone remain very low-lying (city elevation around 3–12 m / 10–40 ft; territorial average ~22 m). Inland areas rise gradually to a maximum of around 290 m in the hills, creating a transition from flat coastal plains to undulating terrain suitable for agriculture.

Topography and Terrain
Marsala’s landscape is predominantly flat to gently rolling coastal plain, characteristic of western Sicily’s western edge. The ancient core of the city (originally Lilybaeum) was built on the low, rocky Lilibeo promontory, which provides natural defensibility and harbor access. The terrain slopes gently seaward, with minimal dramatic elevation changes near the coast. Inland, the commune includes low hills and plains covered in vineyards, forming part of the Val di Mazara wine region. Soils are typically calcareous or siliceous, sometimes mixed with sandy, clayey, or reddish earth near the coast—arid but productive for viticulture due to good drainage and some underground water tables.
The area is classified as a medium seismic zone (Zone 2), with occasional historical earthquakes noted, though none have caused major recent disruption in the immediate vicinity.

Hydrography and Key Coastal Features
The standout geographical feature is the Stagnone Lagoon (Laguna dello Stagnone or Riserva Naturale Orientata Isole dello Stagnone di Marsala), Sicily’s largest lagoon (approximately 2,000 hectares or ~20 km²). It lies just north of the city, stretching roughly 7 km long by 3 km wide between Marsala and the neighboring area toward Trapani.
This shallow coastal wetland (water depths typically a few centimeters to 2 m, often under 50 cm in places) is separated from the open Mediterranean by the long barrier island Isola Lunga (also called Isola Grande or formerly Stinco di Capra). Within the lagoon are several small islands:
Mozia (the most famous, an important ancient Phoenician settlement).
Santa Maria.
Others like Schola.

The lagoon’s warm, highly saline waters (heated in summer due to shallowness) support rich biodiversity, including Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows, fish species, and migratory birds. Historic salt pans (saline) line its shores—rectangular basins where seawater evaporates, historically powered by windmills—producing sea salt and creating colorful pinkish hues from algae and minerals. The lagoon and salt pans form a protected nature reserve, ideal for birdwatching, kitesurfing, and eco-tours.
Marsala’s open coastline to the south and west features sandy beaches and a modern harbor, contrasting with the lagoon’s sheltered, still waters to the north.

Climate
Marsala has a classic hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa), typical of Sicily’s coastal areas but notably mild due to its western exposure. Summers are hot, dry, and often muggy, with average highs in the upper 20s–low 30s°C (record highs near 37°C) and very low rainfall. Winters are mild and wetter, with average lows around 8–9°C (rarely dipping to freezing) and more precipitation. Annual average temperature is about 17.7°C, with roughly 450 mm of rainfall concentrated in autumn and winter. Relative humidity stays high (around 72–82%), and sunny hours average 7–8 per day yearly.
The Sirocco wind occasionally blows from the Sahara in summer, bringing heat, dust, and sand. Snow is extremely rare.

Human and Cultural Landscape Integration
The geography strongly shapes local economy and culture. Vast vineyards blanket the plains and gentle hills, producing the famous Marsala fortified wine. The lagoon’s salt pans and archaeological islands (especially Mozia) add layers of historical and natural value. The low, open terrain and clear Mediterranean waters have made the area a hub for fishing, trade, and tourism, with the cape’s strategic position historically key for ancient Carthaginian and later settlements.

Holidays

Christmas
During the Christmas holidays, the municipality sets up the Christmas markets in Via Roma, the miniature nativity scene in the excavations of San Girolamo (adjacent to Piazza Purgatorio) and in the Convento del Carmine: "The Village of Santa Claus", created under the patronage with the local proloco and in the Granatello district, the living nativity scene is created.

Goblets of stars
Every year in summer, the municipality together with the cellars organizes Calici di stelle, an oenological event. Tastings are available.

CiancioFest
Every year in the Contrada Ciancio the CiancioFest event takes place in August, a village saga where there are other events of various kinds inside, and they are: a singing festival, a cake competition, and sagas about some food products. Furthermore, in the various evenings there is no shortage of concerts, musical performances, theater and begin. The celebrations in honor of Maria SS. Mother of the Church which include the scinnuta of the simulacrum, a novena and a triduum, the procession and fireworks.

Marsala Expo
The Marsala Expo is a trade fair held in the area used for the market, every year in the month of October.

Garibaldi demonstrations
Every year in the month of May, Garibaldi's demonstrations take place for a week which recall the landing in Marsala of Giuseppe Garibaldi and the Thousand which took place on 11 May 1860 and which culminate on that day.

Anniversary of the Marsala bombings of May '43
Every year on May 11, in addition to Garibaldi's demonstrations, the anniversary ceremony of the bombings of Marsala which took place on May 11, 1943 takes place and which provide for the surrender of military honors to the military and civilian dead of Marsala with the deposition of the crown of laurel at the war memorial in Villa del Rosario and the execution of the silence of the order, as well as conferences on the Second World War.

Instruction
Given the strong winemaking and agricultural vocation, agricultural education is guaranteed by an agricultural technical institute with an Oenology School founded by the Marsala patriot Abele Damiani and which bears the name of its founder, and by a degree course in Viticulture and Oenology from the Department of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Sciences (SAAFE) of the Polytechnic School of the University of Palermo based in Marsala.

Schools

In the municipal area there are:
57 nursery schools;
41 primary schools;
7 lower secondary schools;
8 upper secondary schools, offering 10 different specialisations:
economic technical institute for tourism (formerly commercial);
technological technical institute (formerly industrial technical institute);
classical high school;
linguistic high school;
scientific high school;
high school of human sciences;
Agricultural Technical Institute;
oenological school (specialization course in Viticulture and Oenology and oenological specialization of the agricultural institute);
professional institute for agriculture and the environment of Strasatti (section of the agricultural institute - merged into the agricultural institute in 2000);
professional hotel institute (section of the agricultural institute)

Anthropogenic geography

Urban planning

From an urban point of view, Marsala is made up of heterogeneous and different inhabited centers spread throughout its territory, such as to define it as the only example of a city-territory in Sicily. About 35,000 inhabitants live in the city, while 47,000 are spread among the hamlets and districts. They are distinguished:
the historic centre, enclosed within the perimeter of the medieval city, where almost all the monumental, cultural and administrative structures are located.
the urban center, which grew up around the ancient historic center, which extends south on the road to Mazara del Vallo up to the Casabianca district, north on the road to Trapani up to the Santa Venera district, east on the road to Salemi up to the San Sylvester.
the districts, which constitute the real peculiarity of the municipal area. There are about 100 of them and they are from 1 to 15 km from the centre. These are residential areas that arise along the most important road axes without interruption. Most of them have no real center, but wide roads into which dozens of small inhabited streets lead to the so-called "chianu" (in Italian, flat), i.e. a residential nucleus of ancient houses facing a common square where a water well was located for the use of the families who lived there.

The center of Marsala still retains the original articulation of the road axis, developed according to a typical design of the Hellenistic age (for strigas, parallel and orthogonal streets, in contrast with the Roman model for cardi and decumani).

This quadrilateral, formerly bounded by a wall of which four sixteenth-century bastions remain, encloses the historic center with the Spanish quarter, which today houses the offices of the municipality. The current name of the Cassaro is Via XI Maggio. It is the main street of the city and starts from Piazza Matteotti and ends at Porta Nuova, one of the ancient gates of the city.

The origins of the districts, on the other hand, date back to the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century and originate from the marked agricultural activity of the area; many peasants lived in the center of the city but the agricultural estates were also hours away by road that could be traveled with carts or donkeys and this constituted a considerable logistical problem in periods of intense activity (grape harvest, harvest, etc.); the need to stay in the place of activity for long periods gave rise to the origin of the "chianu", a temporary and subsequently definitive residential place from which the current districts originate.

The territory of Marsala in 1978 was divided into administrative districts due to the need to manage the administration and services in a capillary manner over a very articulated territory. The municipality was divided into 7 urban districts and 7 extra-urban villages, later reduced to 5 (San Leonardo-Birgi, Paolini-Bosco, Strasatti, Terrenove-Ciavolotto, Amabilina-Ciancio) each consisting of a large number of districts. The districts were then abolished in 2003.

Contrade

A peculiarity of the municipal territory of Marsala is that it includes a very high number of small inhabited areas that arise along the most important road axes without interruption. Most of them have no real center but have a "chianu" (in Italian piano, courtyard), that is a common square around which the inhabited nucleus has extended. The territory of Marsala includes over one hundred districts, more or less inhabited due to their distance from the city, distinguishing between them areas of building expansion in the immediate vicinity of the urban center, villages welded to the city by urban expansion along the main streets and more distant districts with a few scattered houses.

Below is a list of the traditional districts: Abbadessa, Addolorata, Alfaraggio, Amabilina, Bambina, Baronazzo Amafi, Bellusa, Berbarello, Berbaro, Biesina, Birgi Novi, Birgi Vecchi, Birgi Nivaloro, Bosco, Bufalata, Buttagana, Canale, Capofeto , Cardilla, Carinume, Casabianca, Casazze, Catenazzi, Guitar, Ciancio, Ciappola, Ciavolo, Ciavolotto, Colombaio Lasagna, Conca, Cozzaro, Cozzogrande, Heart of Jesus, Cutusio, Dammusello, Dara, Digerbato, Ettore Infersa, Falconiera, Florio, Fiumara Sant'Onofrio, Fontana di Leo, Fontanelle, Fornara, Fossarunza, Genodolfo, Giaccatello, Giammabella, Giardinello, Giunchi, Granatello, Gurgo, San Pantaleo Island, Isola Grande, Santa Maria Island, La Scuola Island, Madonna Cava Bufalata, Madonna dell 'Alto Oliva, Mamuna, Mandriglie, Matarocco, Messinello, Misilla, Musciuleo, Nasco, Paolini, Pastorella, Pecorume, Perino, Pellegrino, Pispisia, Ponte Fiumarella, Porcospino, Pozzillo, Rakalia, Ranna, Rassameli, Rinazzo, Roccazzello, Salvaggi, San Giuseppe Tafalia, San Nicola, San Silvestro, Sant'Ambrogio, Sant'Anna, Santa Venera, San Filippo e Giacomo, San Michele Refuge, San Leonardo, Santo Padre delle Perriere, Scacciaiazzo, Sinubio, Spagnuola, Stazzone, Strasatti, Sturiano, Tabaccaro , Terrenove, Torrelunga Puleo, Ventrischi, Zizza.

Economy

The city's economy is still today strongly linked to wine-growing activities, even if tourism has grown year by year in recent decades.

The industrial productions in the mechanical, metallurgical, robotic-automatic and glass working sectors are important. Other important industrial food productions concern the confectionery sector and the production of coffee. As a side dish to wine and confectionary production, numerous companies operating in food packaging have sprung up in recent years. The agriculture of the Marsala hinterland, almost monopolized by the vineyards, still leaves room for important tomato and strawberry productions.

However, tourism, for years now, has become a very important source of income for the city. With its 14 km of coastline with fine white sand beaches, its crystalline sea, easy connections with the adjacent Egadi Islands and the natural beauty of the Saline and Stagnone, Marsala represents an important tourist resort.

Since 2009, "Siciliamoexpo" has been held, an exhibition in which Sicilian food and wine, artisan and tourism companies and foreign buyers are involved, organized by the Trapani Chamber of Commerce. The event takes place in the historic center of Marsala, in Piazza della Repubblica, in the month of June.

In 2013 it was named European Capital of Wine. In 2015, the name of the city was combined with the new color produced by the leading company in graphics and in the production of Pantone color types, which created a new color based on the homonymous wine produced in the country.

Infrastructure and transport

Local public transport
Local public transport is guaranteed by the SMA (Servizio Municipale Autotrasporti Marsala) which manages the urban buses that connect the various districts of the historic center and the city center, and the peripheral and extra-urban areas of Marsala, the hamlets and also the nearby city of Petrosino with the urban and historical center of Marsala, with a bus station located in the city centre.

Future realization
TIMAV Marsala Viagiatori Intermodal Terminal (new bus station at the former railway station freight yard);
Surface light rail, with three stations and stops.

Road and rail connections
Marsala is home to one of the major bus transport companies serving the Trapani area. It is crossed in the north-south direction by the SS 115 South Western Sicula state road which connects it to the north with Trapani and the Marsala motorway junction on the A29 motorway and to the south with Mazara del Vallo. The city is also the starting point of state road 188 Centro Occidental Sicula which crosses it in a west-east direction until it connects it with Salemi. Both the SP.21 and the Scorrimento Veloce Marsala-Birgi connect the city to the nearby Trapani-Birgi airport.

Highway 115 South Western Sicula
State Road 188 Western Center of Sicily
Provincial road 21 Trapani-Marsala
Fast Scrolling Marsala-Birgi

The railway line that crosses the city from north to south is part of the Alcamo Diramazione-Castelvetrano-Trapani line. There are several train stops within the Marsala area:
Mozia-Birgi
Spanish
Marsala
Terranova
Petrosino-Strasatti

Air and sea connections
The city is served by the Vincenzo Florio airport (whose runway, in the west end on the sea side, falls partly in the municipality of Marsala, while the east end of the same runway and the terminal fall in the municipality of Misiliscemi), with connections to major Italian and European cities, about 13 km from the city centre.

From the port of Marsala the only scheduled connections are the ferries to the Egadi islands, which can also be easily reached by private boats.

Sport

The Sport Club Marsala 1912 football club has its headquarters in the municipality, which competed in Serie C1 as its best result and which, after its re-foundation in 2006, played in amateur championships.

Women's football is represented by the A.S.D. Marsala Calcio Feminine, a club founded in 2000.

The city has 2 women's volleyball teams: Marsala Volley, founded in 1972, which currently plays in Serie A2 and Fly Volley Marsala which plays in Serie B2.

The basketball team Pallacanestro Marsala, founded in 1972, is based in the municipality, heir to the Fiamma Marsala company founded in the 1960s.

Marsala hosts the handball club A.S.D. The Youth. Sailing, Brazilian jiu jitsu and kite surfing are also practiced.