San Leonardo: Lagoon Landscape, Islands and Phoenician Traces

San Leonardo combines the lagoon landscape of the Stagnone with islands, water sports and traces of Phoenician history. If you would like to combine nature observation, excursions on the water and cultural discoveries during your trip to Sicily, you will find a wide range of reasons to visit here. There is also a specific place for children and several stops where the landscape and its history can be understood from different perspectives.

Lagoon, islands and protected nature

In the surrounding area, the Riserva Naturale Orientata Isole dello Stagnone di Marsala extends over 2,000 hectares between Punta San Teodoro and Capo Lilibeo. The nature reserve includes Isola Grande, also known as Isola Longa, as well as the three small islands of Mozia, Santa Maria and Schola. The landscape is shaped not only by water and islands: the protected area is home to rare halophytes, meaning salt-tolerant plants such as Halocnemum strobilaceum and Calendula maritima.

The Stagnone also offers distinctive details for wildlife observation. Migratory birds such as curlews and glossy ibises stay in the nature reserve. In the colder season, various species of ducks join them, while herons search for food in the salt ponds. A stay in San Leonardo can therefore be described not only in terms of water sports or culture, but also through the special habitat of the salt-pan landscape.

Boats, water sports and paths through the salt pans

From the Molo delle Saline Ettore e Infersa, there is a round-trip boat service to Isola Grande, also known as Isola Lunga. The crossing takes about 20 minutes, with departures every hour. In the vicinity of the Saline Ettore e Infersa, small boats, inflatable boats, catamarans and canoes can also be rented. Windsurfing, kitesurfing, canoeing and sailing are available at the Stagnone. Those who do not want to explore the salt pans from the water can take part in guided walks lasting one hour.

Two further details are helpful for getting your bearings: the road in Contrada Ettore Infersa, also called Casello Bonetto, connects the Litoranea dello Stagnone with the provincial road SP21. In Contrada San Leonardo, there is a car park with two spaces reserved for M3-category buses.

Mozia and the history of the surrounding area

Mozia was founded at the end of the 8th century BC and developed into one of the wealthiest Phoenician colonies in the Mediterranean. The Whitaker Museum on Mozia mainly displays finds from the ancient Phoenician city and also provides educational materials on the history and civilisation of the Phoenicians. Alongside the natural environment, this gives the area a clearly recognisable historical dimension.

San Leonardo itself also has cultural points of interest. The Chiesa San Leonardo is located at Contrada Ettore Infersa 142 in Marsala. The church houses a life-size statue created and installed there by the Società Italiana Arte Sacra di Roma. A Via Crucis is also documented in San Leonardo. Nearby, the Mulino delle Saline Ettore e Infersa is still in operation. In 2024, the cultural weekend “San Leonardo e Birgi in Festa” was announced in San Leonardo, featuring performances, cabaret and tastings of typical products; this event date is in the past.

A place for children

The Parco Giochi di San Leonardo is a children’s playground in the Contrada of the same name, next to a car park and near the “Verga” school complex. The Kite Hostel Stagnone is documented as a named accommodation option, a hostel focused on kitesurfing at Via Torre Lupa 119A in Contrada San Leonardo.

For further comparisons for your trip to Sicily, you can also consider Calatafimi, Dattilo, Biscione, Salemi, Ciavolo, Selinunte, Tonnarella and Poggioreale.

For the higher-level travel overview: Trapani.