January 31, 2019
Sicily, the sea is everything. This beautiful calm blue Mediterranean provides a holiday of relaxation on the seashore, warm enough for swimming almost year round. Fishing is a livelihood for many, bringing in their daily catch, sales to restaurants, sales to the homecooks for dinner. And then there is the sea salt of Trapani.
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| Salt piles with Mount Erice in the background |
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| Salt Basins |
The salt extractions from the sea date back to the time of the Greeks and Romans. The water is pumped into basins where windmills, dating back possibly to the 1500s of Turkish design, drain the water leaving behind the salt. Pure natural salt, piled high as little hills by workers, covered still today with terra cotta tiles for protection and drying. Just waiting to be sent throughout the world.
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| Pumps for the sea salt |
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| Windmills for pumping the water in and out of the basins |
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| Worker making a drain trench |
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| Salt piles covered with the terra cotta tiles |
The salt is often sold wet and damp with little pieces of rice to absorb the moisture and prevent caking. Salt is harvested easier in a places other than this traditional method in Trapani but the sea salt of Trapani is still treasured for its natural pure flavor.
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| Salt gathering on the sides of the basin walls |
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| Coarse, pure, natural Trapani sea salt |
A visit to the salt pans of Nubia, just south of Trapani, was on my list of places to see before leaving Sicily. The beauty of the sea, the salt piles, the basins, and windmills did not disappoint. Although we were there in the offseason for tourists and was unable to discover the stories in the Salt Museum or observe the salt harvesting in production, we wandered to our heart's contentment.
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| With our friend Jacqueline |
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| Salt flats of Nubia with the city of Trapani in the background |
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| The factory offices |
We enjoyed the time, views, and discoveries.
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| We were able to walk along these pathways between basins |
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| Flamingos in the marshes next to the sea salt flats |
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| Olive trees surrounding the road to the salt flats |
