Paceco: Salt Pans, Salt History and Sicilian Culture

In Paceco, the still-productive salt pans of the Riserva Naturale Orientata Saline di Trapani e Paceco meet an unusually rich history of salt and culture. The reserve is one of the last still-productive salt pans in Sicily; salt production and nature conservation coexist here. Paceco therefore offers a travel focus that combines nature observation, traditional working life and historic buildings.

Nature Experiences in the Salt Pans

The Riserva Naturale Orientata Saline di Trapani e Paceco extends across the municipalities of Trapani, Paceco and Misiliscemi. During guided excursions lasting around two hours, you can learn more about the area's natural features, including birdwatching, as well as salt production. From July to September, you can also observe the salt harvest. This is possible either on booked excursions or from the roads around the salt pans.

Advance arrangements are essential for the free guided tours: they must be booked at least one week in advance exclusively online via the WWF website. This allows you to plan a visit to the salt pans as an independent nature experience, while the salt harvest provides a seasonal highlight.

Salt History at the Museo del Sale

The Museo del Sale is located in Contrada Nubia in the municipality of Paceco. It is housed in a 17th-century baglio, an old fortified farm complex used for grinding salt. At the museum, old tools used by salt workers, original objects from the salt-production process and historic black-and-white photographs preserve the various aspects of this work. The tools that are no longer in use are considered evidence of industrial archaeology.

Next to the Museo del Sale stands a large, well-preserved windmill. It was formerly used to lift seawater and crush raw salt. The museum is also part of the “Via del Sale” cultural and tourism project, which promotes the landscape of salt pans and windmills along the coast of the Province of Trapani. This gives you access to a cultural landscape in which technical installations, salt production and nature conservation are closely documented side by side.

Churches and Historic Towers

The churches of Paceco also contribute to the character of the town. The Chiesa Maria Santissima del Rosario is a 17th-century church. During its restoration, the vaults as well as the upper and lower masonry were consolidated and repaired. Following the restoration, the church was reopened to worshippers and religious services resumed.

The Chiesa Madre del SS. Crocifisso was built in 1623 and reconstructed in the mid-18th century based on a design by Giovanni Biagio Amico. Its furnishings include four large altarpieces from the late 17th or early 18th century, donated by Princess Maria Anna Fardella San Severino. The church also has a Crucifixion group made of wood, canvas and glue, produced in workshops in Trapani. The same technique was used for it as for Trapani's famous Misteri groups.

The Torre saracena di Nubia is also part of the area's historical landmarks; it lies within the Riserva Naturale Orientata Saline di Trapani e Paceco. The Torre di Nubia was built in the 16th century and renovated in 1585 by the Florentine architect Camillo Camilliani. It was later incorporated into the defensive system of the Sicilian coast initiated by the Spanish government.

From Prehistory to Cave Visits

The Museo Civico di Preistoria has been housed since 1980 in the premises of Paceco's municipal library. Its materials range from the Paleolithic to the Middle Ages; original finds from Sicily and Africa are displayed. The museum also organises guided cave visits accompanied by geoarchaeologists or archaeologists. This allows you to choose between the collection's broad chronological scope and a professionally accompanied exploration of caves.

If you would like to include additional destinations in your research, you can also find Dattilo, Triscina, Marinella, Fulgatore, San Ciro - Ulmi - Filci, Ballata, Castellammare Del Golfo and Casa Santa.

For the wider travel overview: Trapani.