It often happens, when on vacation in Trapani, that one wants to visit other places without staying too long in one location. In this article, we talk about the Trapani-Marsala route, a nearby place that definitely deserves a visit.
For those unfamiliar, Marsala (called Maissala in the local dialect) is an Italian municipality with 79,833 inhabitants and is the largest by population in the free municipal consortium of Trapani, as well as being the fifth largest in all of Sicily. The city is particularly famous for the historic landing of Garibaldi and the Thousand in 1860, but also for the still ongoing production of the eponymous Marsala wine, for which, since 1987, it has been considered a City of Wine. Marsala is located on Cape Boeo and for this reason is called the “city between two seas,” as it is bordered by the Tyrrhenian Sea to the north and the Sea of Sicily to the south.
Additionally, we know well that this city faces Favignana, of which it constitutes the nearest point, along with the other Egadi Islands (such as Levanzo and Marettimo), even though these are a bit further away. But that’s not all because Marsala boasts a fairly large territory, with two large coastal areas that are geographically completely opposite. The hinterland, on the other hand, develops around the SS 188 towards Salemi and up to a metropolitan boundary set by the Paolo Borsellino hospital. Until the late 1970s, it also included the district of Petrosino (which then became a completely autonomous municipality through a popular referendum) within its territory, reaching almost 95,000 inhabitants.
But what is there to see in this beautiful Marsala? You can start with the view of the historic center and its rich artistic heritage in full Baroque style; here you can visit the Cathedral, the Tapestry Museum, the Central Market, and the Garibaldian Museum, located within the monumental complex of San Pietro, and the “Regional Archaeological Museum Lilibeo,” which houses the two Punic Ships and historical artifacts from Marsala’s ancient glory days.
How can you travel the Trapani-Marsala route?
The distance between Trapani and Marsala is 25.7 km and can be covered by various means. One of these is the train, which is also the fastest means as it takes only about 30 minutes and also has multiple trips throughout the day, some of which are quicker with fewer stops.
Another viable option to consider is the bus, although it obviously takes more time, and in fact, it takes 1 hour and 5 minutes. In this case, several agencies handle this route, and most have a frequency of 4 or 5 hours. The costs are still very low, considering the short distance between the two locations, and in fact, the prices range from 3 to 6 euros.
Finally, we can also mention the taxi as a means to reach these locations since there are plenty in the city of Trapani. As expected, the price increases significantly here, ranging from 40 to 50 euros, also because there are no delays and the taxi driver is always at your disposal.
