HISTORY OF OUR TERRITORY



Trapani and tuna : a unique relationship that has its roots in history, even in the Middle Ages. Due to its geographical area, the territory of Trapani has always been a place of passage for migrations of tuna which has always been, even today, a main food of the territory , fished in the past with the rite of slaughter .

Trapani, a city located in the westernmost part of Sicily, in a strategic position that has always allowed it to enjoy an economy based above all on fishing and in particular on tuna processing.

Among the activities practiced in the Mediterranean, the "tonnara" understood as tuna fishing (Thunnus thinnus) with fixed net systems ( the same term indicates the buildings supporting fishing ) is certainly the one that has seen the least changes over the centuries.

There were several traps in the area, we remember those of:

• Tonnara di Bonagia . Buildings overlooking it, once warehouses, a mill and a small church where fishermen gathered to pray before slaughter . The ancient pirate watchtower is used as a Tonnara Museum,
• Tonnara San Cusumano of Trapani ,
•  Tonnara di Favignana , on the island of the same name, today a splendid example of industrial archeology covering 32 thousand square metres. A real museum with lots of testimonies,
•  Tonnara di Formica : halfway between Trapani and Favignata, it was one of the most productive, a place of passage for tuna movements.
•  Tonnara del Secco of San Vito lo Capo , TP
• Tonnara di Scopello set in a unique place in the world and today a natural museum overlooking the crystalline sea.
• Tonnara Magazzinazzi of Alcamo.
• Tonnara di Capo Granitola , on the southern side, where the largest tuna were caught. All examples of a union between man and sea, testimonies of the past to visit if you find yourself passing through western Sicily.