Marsala, Sicily
| Marsala | ||
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| Comune | ||
| City of Marsala | ||
Salt evaporation ponds at Marsala
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 Marsala
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| Coordinates: 37°48′N 12°26′E / 37.800°N 12.433°E | ||
| Country | Italy | |
| Region | Sicily | |
| Province / Metropolitan city | Trapani (TP) | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Alberto Di Girolamo (PD) | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 241.6 km2 (93.3 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 3 m (10 ft) | |
| Population (30 November 2010) | ||
| • Total | 82,765 | |
| • Density | 340/km2 (890/sq mi) | |
| Demonym(s) | Marsalesi or Lilibetani | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| Postal code | 91025 | |
| Dialing code | 0923 | |
| Patron saint | Our Lady of the Cave (Madonna della Cava) and Saint John the Baptist | |
| Saint day | respectively 19 January and 24 June | |
| Website | Official website | |
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Marsala (Maissala in Sicilian; Lilybaeum in Latin) is an Italian town located in the Province of Trapani in the westernmost part of Sicily. Marsala is the most populated town in Trapani District and the fifth in Sicily.
The town is famous for the docking of Garibaldi on 11 May 1860 (the Expedition of the Thousand) and for its Marsala wine. A feature of the area is the Natural Reserve called Stagnone Lagoon — a marine area with salt ponds.
Marsala is built on the ruins of the ancient Carthaginian city of Lilybaion, and includes in its territory the archaeological site of Motya island, an ancient Phoenician town.
Situated at the extreme western point of Sicily, the town was founded on Lilibeo Cape from where the Aegadian Islands and the Stagnone Lagoon can be seen.
The territory of Marsala, 241 square kilometres (93 sq mi), has a rich cultural and landscape heritage; its area includes the Stagnone Lagoon, a Natural Reserve in which is located the island of Mozia.
The city of Marsala had a population of about 86,000 until the end of 1970, when Petrosino, a village formerly part of Marsala, decided to become a self-governing town after a local referendum.
The area of Marsala is classified as a seismic zone 2 (medium). In the last 200 years three earthquakes of medium-high intensity were recorded:
The weather is warm in summer with a maximum of 39 °C (102 °F). Winters are rainy with temperatures between 10 °C (50 °F) and 17 °C (63 °F).
In 397 BCE the Phoenician colony of Motya on the southwestern coast of Sicily was invaded and destroyed by the Syracusan tyrant Dionysius I. The survivors founded a town on the mainland nearby that they called Lilybaion (Lilybaeum in Latin), "The town that looks at Libya", on the site of modern-day Marsala.
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Wikipedia