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Home > Travel Italy > Italy Destinations > Mazara del Vallo
Mazara del Vallo
Italy, officially the Italian Republic or Repubblica Italiana, is a Southern European country comprising of the Po River valley, the Italian Peninsula and the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. It is shaped like a boot and for this reason Italians commonly call it lo Stivale, the boot or, due to its prevalent peninsular geographical nature, la Penisola, the Peninsula.
Mazara del Vallo is a town in South-Western Sicily, Italy, which lies mainly on the left bank at the mouth of the Mazaro river, administratively part of the province of Trapani. It is an agricultural and fishing centre and its port gives shelter to the largest fishing fleet in Italy.
Mazara was founded by the Phoenicians in the 9th century BC, with the name of Mazar. It then passed under the control of Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, before being occupied by the Arabs in the year 827. During the Arab period, Sicily was divided into three different administrative regions, Val di Noto, Val Demone and Val di Mazara, making the city an important commercial harbour and centre of learning. Nowadays, the city centre, known as the Kasbah, is reminiscent of that period, probably the most prosperous in the history of Mazara.
Currently the fishing business in the city seems to be withering, mainly because of the increasing lack of people willing to work on boats. The city was known as Mazzara del Vallo until the World War II period, following which the spelling was changed to Mazara del Vallo. Mazara del Vallo is connected to the rest of Sicily by a regional train service, private bus service, and by car, via the A29 highway. It is also easily reachable from the nearby airports of Trapani and Palermo.
During the summer period, Mazara is also connected via ferry to Pantelleria. A new ferry route connecting Mazara to Hammamet, Tunisia, is scheduled to start this summer. A city known for its historic myths and traditions, scenic beauty, cooperative people and luxurious hotels and cottages, Mazara is one of the favorite holiday destinations for most of the vacation lovers.
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