THE WIND ROAD WIND AND SEA SPORTS IN SICILY
Cape
Boeo, Sicily’s Western tip and site of Marsala, is the kingdom of
the wind. Here there frequently meet and clash the warm wind from Africa
(scirocco) and the fresh northerly wind (tramontana) that mitigates the
temperatures in summer. The wind is always blowing in this city, not least
in the placid
Stagnone Lagoon, where it
contributes to evaporating the water in the saltpans.
And it also turns the lagoon into an ideal place for learning
and practicing a wide variety of sports (sailing, canoeing, windsurfing,
kitesurfing, …) in collaboration with the numerous experts who will
give you a helping hand with both lessons, if you need them, and equipment
hire if you don’t own it yourself.
And the force of the wind also moves the great arms of the windmills;
indeed, the lagoon is dominated by the many windmills, which in former
days were used to raise the water and grind the salt.
The large windmill at the Ettore and Infersa
Saltpans,
which is said to have been built to a design by Leonardo da Vinci, has
been completely reconstructed and is set in motion every Wednesday and
Saturday during the summer season.
Inside you will find a model of the
saltpans
that illustrates the various phases of salt-making and see its ingenious
mechanisms right down to the millstones. There is also an exhibition of
jewelry made from salt paste and many typical products that you can take
home with you.
