Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In summer, Mazara is inundated with holidaymakers who head straight to Tonnarella
beach, on the western side of the city.
DON'T MISS
THE SATYR THAT ROSE FROM THE SEA
The
Museo del Satiro
( 0923 93 39 17; Piazza Plebiscito; adult €6, EU citizen 18-25yr €3, EU citizen under
18 or 65+ free; 9am-7pm) is the jewel in Mazara's crown. This memorable museum revolves around its cent-
ral exhibit, a bronze statue known as the
Satiro danzante
(Dancing Satyr), hauled from the watery depths by local
fishermen in the late 1990s. The sculpture depicts a bacchanalian satyr dancing wildly like a whirling dervish,
arms outstretched, head flung back, the centrifugal force evident in his flowing hair.
The museum is located in the deconsecrated shell of the Chiesa di Sant'Egidio. On entering, make sure you
watch the 25-minute video before looking at anything else. In Italian, with English subtitles, the film tells the
story of a group of fishermen who were working their nets 40km off the shores of Tunisia in 1997 when they
pulled up the bronze leg of a statue. Time elapsed and they continued to fish in the same area, wondering if they
would ever find the rest of the statue. Extraordinarily, they did so the next year - a rare original casting from the
Hellenistic era. Overcome by romanticism, the boat's captain tells the camera: 'Lying on the deck with its face
turned to the sky, it looked like someone who'd clung on, waiting to be rescued'. What followed was a 4½-year
period of painstaking restoration, during which time Mazara strenuously tussled with the powers in Rome to en-
sure the return of the satyr, which only came home in 2003.
And what a beauty. Originally, it would have been used in Dionysian processions - today it commands its own
form of no-less-passionate worship here.
Sights & Activities
Mazara's streets and alleys are decorated with colourful hand-painted tiles, a subtle touch
that adds to the pleasure of randomly strolling through town.
Piazza della Repubblica
Mazara's central piazza is an attractive space edged by elegant buildings, including the
town's 11th-century
Cattedrale del San Salvatore
(admission free; irregular)
, the elegant, two-
storey
Seminario dei Chierici
(dating from 1710) and, on the opposite side of the square, the
18th-century
Seminario Vescovile
, with an impressive 11-arched portico.
The cathedral was completely rebuilt in the 17th century in the baroque style. Over the
portal is a relief from the 16th century of Count Roger trampling a Saracen. Unfortu-
nately, the 1970s office tower on the west side of the square is a visual affront of the
highest order - how it managed to get a construction permit beggars belief.
PIAZZA
La Casbah
HISTORIC QUARTER
