Page 533 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

Museo del Satiro
Piazza del Plebiscito • Daily 9am–6pm • €6

The fifteenth-century church of Sant’Egido now houses the Museo del Satiro, whose
centrepiece is a rather risqué fourth-century BC bronze satyr captured in the ecstatic
throes of an orgiastic Dionysian dance. It was, quite literally, caught by a Mazara

fishing boat in the waters between Pantelleria and Cap Bon, Tunisia, in 1998. Sadly,
as the fishermen hauled the catch aboard, one of the arms broke off and has yet to be
recovered. A 25-minute video with English subtitles relates the story.

The Tunisian quarter

Most of what remains of the old town was built after Mazara’s teeming Arab
population had dwindled to nothing – but it’s here, especially in the Pilazza

neighbourhood, that their descendants have returned, making up a low-key Tunisian
quarter centred on Via Porta Palermo and nearby Via Bagno. Stroll around the quiet
alleys here and you’ll pass authentic Tunisian cafés and shops, and the occasional
social club resounding with Arab music and the clack of backgammon tables.

The port

West of the Tunisian quarter, the waters of the Mazaro River are hidden by the hulls of

the two hundred-odd trawlers that clog Mazara’s port. Heavy overfishing and the use
of illegal explosives (dropped into the sea to stun the fish) have greatly decreased the
catch in recent years, but the rich waters above the continental shelf have ensured that
there are enough fish left to make it worthwhile for the fishermen to pursue their trade
– at least, given the reduced wages that the Tunisians are prepared to accept.

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION: MAZARA DEL VALLO

By bus Buses stop at Via Salemi, either outside the train station or 200m up at Piazza
Matteotti.

Destinations Agrigento (3 daily Mon–Sat, 1 daily Sun; 2hr–2hr 40min); Campobello

(3 daily Mon–Sat; 20min); Castelvetrano (3 daily Mon–Sat; 40min); Marsala (1–2
hourly Mon–Sat, 4 daily Sun; 30min); Palermo (8–12 daily Mon–Sat, 2–6 daily Sun;
2hr–2hr 35min); Trapani (4 daily Mon–Sat; 1hr 30min–1hr 45min).

By train Mazara’s train station is centrally located off Corso Vittorio Veneto.

Destinations Campobello di Mazara (11 daily Mon–Sat, 6 daily Sun; 10min);
Castelvetrano (10 daily Mon–Sat, 5 daily Sun; 20min); Marsala (10 daily Mon–Sat, 5
daily Sun; 20min); Palermo (5 daily Mon–Sat, 3 daily Sun; 2hr 40min–3hr; may

involve change); Trapani (10 daily Mon–Sat, 5 daily Sun; 50min).