Salemi

One of the most beautiful villages in Italy. And, therefore, in the world.

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Salemi is recognised as one of “The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy”. And I would like to see, anyone who has visited this jewel would say!

Salemi, which lies between the Màzaro and the Grande rivers, occupying an enviable position at the heart of the Valle del Belice, was the First Capital of the Kingdom of Italy; on the tower of its castle, Garibaldi waved the tricolour flag, and this honour, which lasted only one day, is documented by a precious royal decree held by the Polo Museale cittadino. Today, Salemi is a town full of history, narrow streets, cobblestones and charming little churches.

The yellow-pink tones of the so-called Campanedda stone lend a unique colour to the buildings and dense urban fabric of its medieval old town. The town represents paradigm of multiculturalism, in which Jewish and Arab culture have shaped the ancient districts of Giudecca and Rabato. The highest part of the village contains valuable evidence of the religious orders and the local aristocracy, which are of great historical and artistic value and are fascinating to admire.

From an altitude of 442 meters above sea level, Salemi observes from the top of the hill on which lies a valley where rows of vineyards, gardens, wheat fields, paths, mule tracks,streams alternate.

From the northern side, however, the gaze rests on the green landscape of woods, between the hills of Filci and Polizo, where there was an important Elymian settlement.

In Salemi, in fact, nature meets history: a territory of natural beauty in which to dedicate oneself to hiking activities, through the exploration of paths, mountainous and hilly areas, combining them with the visit of its archaeological areas – of unique importance for the history of Mediterranean – like Mokarta, where one of the most important settlements of the Bronze Age settled with its fifteen circular houses, huts built with stone walls, and of which numerous tombs carved into the rock have also been found.

Culture, nature and traditions that still speak to us today in Salemi through the rituality of the festivals, in which the symbolic value of bread is expressed by a ceremonial with archaic roots.

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Arab-Norman castle

The Norman Swabian Castle

The Arab-Norman castle dominates the monumental landscape of Salemi and is an exceptional example of medieval architecture in the west of Sicily. A first fortification was built in the Norman period, in the 11th century, but the structure was rebuilt by F...

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Museums Complex of Salemi

Salemi

Cubbaita

Trapani

Sfince di San Giuseppe

Trapani

Busiate

Buseto Palizzolo

Zabbina

Salemi

Vastedda del Belice PDO

Salemi

Valli Trapanesi Olive Oil PDO

Trapani

Jesuit Church (main church)

Salemi

Church and Cloister of Sant’Agostino

Salemi

Piazza Dittatura and Palazzo Comunale (Town Hall)

Salemi

Piazza Alicia

Salemi

Arab-Norman castle

Salemi

Museums Complex of Salemi

Salemi

The fascinating village of Salemi is full of museums, many of which are gathered within the Museums Complex, carefully preserving its precious historical and artistic heritage. The Museums Complex ...

Cubbaita

Trapani

A sweet listed in the register of traditional Sicilian agri-food products , the cubbaita, a sweet of Arab origin, owes its deliciousness to almonds and honey. An irresistible almond cake, sometimes...

Sfince di San Giuseppe

Trapani

Traditionally made for the feast of San Giuseppe (Saint Joseph’s Day), 19 March, sfince are said to have ancient origins, as suggested by the etymology of their name, of Latin origin: “spongia”, a sof...

Busiate

Buseto Palizzolo

This traditional fresh pasta from the cuisine of Trapani, in the shape of thin tubes wound around each other, is said to have inherited its name from the tool traditionally used to make it. There a...

Zabbina

Salemi

This name, of Arabic origin, means sheep’s milk ricotta and whey. A ricotta so fresh that it has not yet firmed up, as it has just come to the surface of the whey. Savouring this soft and sweet-smelli...

Vastedda del Belice PDO

Salemi

The only Italian PDO stretched curd cheese produced from sheep’s milk, Vastedda is made from the milk of the Belice sheep, an indigenous breed that is found in the area between Trapani, Agrigento and ...

Valli Trapanesi Olive Oil PDO

Trapani

The landscape of the west of Sicily is characterised by the foliage of the olive trees that dot the countryside; an ancient, typically Mediterranean tree that spread to this part of the island under t...

Jesuit Church (main church)

Salemi

This baroque church dedicated to Sant’Ignazio di Loyola has a facade that features four spiral columns wound with vine spirals to the sides of the entrance. Founded at the end of the 17th century, ...

Church and Cloister of Sant’Agostino

Salemi

This original 13th-century church is one of the oldest in Salemi and was built next to Porta Aquila, a city gate that has now been lost. On the facade, two niches accommodate the statues of Saints ...

Piazza Dittatura and Palazzo Comunale (Town Hall)

Salemi

Salemi’s main square takes its name from the “dictatorship” declared by Garibaldi on 14 May 1860, in the name of Victor Emmanuel II. From the Palazzo Comunale, Garibaldi declared Salemi the first capi...

Piazza Alicia

Salemi

This iconic square houses the remains of the former Chiesa Madre (main church). Built on the ruins of a mosque, it was rebuilt in the 17th century but almost destroyed in the 1968 earthquake, and is n...

Arab-Norman castle

Salemi

The Arab-Norman castle dominates the monumental landscape of Salemi and is an exceptional example of medieval architecture in the west of Sicily. A first fortification was built in the Norman perio...