Just to the north of Marsala, the sea forms a lagoon known as Stagnone, closed to the east by the mainland and to the west by Isola Lunga (or Long Island). At the centre of the lagoon there are three other islands: Santa Maria, Schola and Mothia.
A particularly enthralling view awaits you wherever you look, not least
on account of the saltpans along the coast of the mainland and Long Island,
and the entire area is today protected as a natural reserve.
The
shape of the lagoon, its warm and shallow waters, which barely arrive
at six feet, but are almost always caressed by a gentle wind, turn this
area into an ideal place for practicing such sports as windsurfing,
kitesurfing and sailing (catamarans and shallow-draught boats).
Being a natural reserve, motor launches are barred.
The Stagnone lagoon is an ideal place for both experts and beginners: the ever-present wind permits experienced sailors to show off all their skill and the shallow waters enable even complete beginners to learn easily and in conditions of complete safety.
Once you reach the lagoon and follow the road that skirts it, you will find numerous places where you can hire a great variety of equipment (catamarans, windsurf and kitesurf boards, canoes, sailing boats) or take lessons. Among these we might here mention Lucio’s Small Navigation Company.
Kitesurfing equipment can also be bought in Marsala itself, where a shop called Sea Store offers a wide range of equipment for sale or hire and lessons can also be booked.
Nature lovers, on the other hand, will find that the shallow and warm
waters of the Stagnone enable them to observe a large variety of water
birds (herons, red flamingos, wild ducks) and a dense vegetation of Poseidonia,
which constitutes an ideal habitat for many species of fish: bass, giltheads,
blacktails, soles, mullet, scorpion fish, and many others.And among general
tourist attractions, the lagoon offers its wealth of salt pans, a fascinating
world almost as old as time, and the small islands with which it is studded
(Santa Maria, Scola and Motia).
How to get there
Leaving Marsala, you follow the SS115 (Salt Road) for a few kilometres
in the direction of Trapani. There is a wealth of signposts, but all you
have to do is to follow the coast on your left and just a few minutes
will bring you to the lagoon. Alternatively, a bus service from Piazza
del Popolo at the centre of Marsala connects the city to the lagoon and
its various embarkation sites.
