Marsala (Lilybaeum in Latin) is an Italian town located in the Province of Trapani in the westernmost part of Sicily. Marsala is the most populous town in Trapani, and the fifth-highest in Sicily.
The town is famous for the landing 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 of Stagnone Lagoon—a marine area with salt ponds.
The Salt Ponds and the Ancient Windmills used to pump the sea water out are so very beautiful…
Marsala is built on the ruins of the ancient Carthaginian city Lilybaion, and includes the archaeological site of Motya island, an ancient Phoenician town. See our visit to that marvelous place by clicking HERE.
As we traveled to Sicily from Malta it was exciting to see the island coming into view…
We stayed in our favorite hotel in Marsala, The New Palace Hotel…
We love walking the old city of Marsala, so filled with history and beauty..
As with any ancient city in Europe, one must visit the Cathedral…
We dart up the steps and enter the enormous doors …….what do we see…….. a wedding in progress…
….up the side aisle we sneak, in order to obtain a better view of the goings on….
What fun to observe this very formal event…we hurry to wait outside to see the newlyweds exit…
What fun that was!
We had walked into the old town and on our way back we found the most marvelous restaurant…. Bucanieri
Look at the view from our table……..marvelous!!
What a delightful meal we enjoyed, sitting and watching the chefs in the open kitchen….
Crostini with Lardo and Fresh Tomato..
Arancini di Riso and Sundried Tomato stuffed with Sardine…
Octopus Salad
Wild Boar Meatballs in a Rich Hunter’s Broth
Delightful Frutti di Mari
Tuna Steak in an Incredible Parsley Sauce
Delightful cup of Rich Minestrone Soup
Then a walk back to the New Palace for some pastries..
Nothing beats Sicilian Pastries…
We so love Sicily and Marsala is always a delight to visit…..we hope you enjoyed spending some time here with us….
Tales and Travels of the Tinman 
Oh- the food looks wonderful. So glad you had the time and opportunity to make that trip. I have never been to Sicily but the pictures, which I had seen before, but had forgotten are most inviting. See you soon. Larry
What gorgeous photography, Tin Man! Spotting a wedding is always great fun. The bride looks beautiful and the groom is dashing. And sky is blue. I especially liked your shot of the fellow-attendee taking a photograph. I’m now studying your dishes. My picks? The Frutti di Mari and the Crostini with Lardo and Fresh Tomato. Thanks for the break! T. (I also love your photograph of the ancient windmills. Lovely.)
Theadora, thank you for visiting and for your kind comments. Guess what……….I do believe that in the month of May I shall meet the Lovely Virginia in person!!!……….NOW that is a blog entry!
Goodness. Gracious. I’m very jealous! This reunion of Creative Souls is very blog-worthy. I agree. Here’s to the yellow brick road! T.
Looks amazing!
Marsala is the true heart of Sicily. The people, the passion for life, the culinary delights…..so marvelous!
Breath taking…………beautiful!!!
The photograph of the salt ponds and the old windmills looks like an ancient painting. Then you splash out with wedding photographs lavish with ceremony complete with red plumed military hats. What a spectacular holiday you two enjoyed. Now tell all Tinny – what did the wild board meatballs taste like??
When I walk among the salt ponds, I do feel lost in a time past, so it is appropriate that you felt the photo looked like an ancient painting. The wedding was an unexpected treat and the wild boar meatballs were delightful. Wild Boar is quite popular in Sicily and I love the taste, reminds me of a cross between Bison and Venison. Oh marvelous delights!!!
Tinman, you have the eyes of an artist, the soul of a poet, and the mind that takes us beyond the ordinary. XX V.
Virginia thou dost make one blush with those words……..I fear you will be most disappointed when meeting me, much like the Great Wizard became the Fat Man behind the curtain……..lol
I agree with Virginia. Your windmill shot looks very much like dreamy painting! T.
How could anyone not fall in love with your first photo…it is like a page out of history. Hope you are doing well, I’ve missed your posts.
Greetings Karen! Thanks for missing me and for your lovely comments. It is nice to be back. Off to Canada in May to take a two week train trip from Toronto to Vancouver with a stopover in Banff……….can’t wait!
Oh how fun…I’ll be eagerly awaiting your Canadian posts.
What a delight to find a new post from The Tin Man! You never disappoint, What fun to have seen a local wedding and then as always you end with a delightful meal. I see from your response that you will be traveling by train from Toronto to Vancouver in May. I am glad as I was worried as I had not seen a post in some time. Vancouver is on my list but I do not know when I will get there so I will rely on you. Cheers! Warmer weather is coming!
First, many thanks for visiting and for fretting about me. I am happy you enjoyed our visit to Marsala. Yes, we are so very excited about our train voyage. It only runs once a year and is a 1950s refurbished train with glass domed lounge cars. We will be enjoying a two bedroom suite on board. The best of it is that we plan to meet up with Virginia while in Vancouver…..oh you should join us!
Beautiful. Looks like a great time.
A Wonderful Post With Awesome Pictures and I have been missing you. Good to see you again!!
Nice to see the continuation of your travels as it has been a while. Of course, I like everything having to do with food! Travel is such a gift, and we are lucky to experience so many wonderful opportunities.
Yes, it is …………we really looked at doing the river cruises in Asia….you inspired us…but we will go with the Canadian Train this time.
We haven’t done the train, but I hear it is a wonderful experience.
This looks like a perfect day and those desserts are almost too pretty to eat! Lots of good memories… 🙂
Thank you Meg, I think everyday is a perfect day when you are in Marsala……..
As always, you are so generous sharing your wonderful visit! The wedding was quite a treat. Guys look great in uniforms! The food — to die for. I could almost (but not quite) taste it. Marsala was just a wine to cook with before, now it’s a real place for me. Thank you, Tin Man!
What lovely words! You brightened my day with your visit. The food was marvie, marvie, marvie………the Sicilians have such a passion for all things culinary. In fact the first coins (Greek) on Sicily held the image of parsley (https://the-tin-man.com/2013/06/25/selinunte-castelvetrano-sicily/)…….oh, how I long to return! Thanks again for stopping by!
Hello Tin Man
I’ve just come back from Sicily, April 2014. First visit, and distance and looking at my pictures makes me even fonder…I’ve put a link to your blog from mine, as you say far more. Many thanks