Salt Pans of Trapani and Paceco

Salt has been produced along the coast between Trapani and Paceco since ancient times, with local tradition tracing the origins of the salt pans to the Phoenicians. The first written description dates to 1154, when the Arab geographer al-Idrīsī recorded extensive saltworks stretching from Trapani towards Monte Erice. During the early modern period, the industry expanded under Spanish and Bourbon rule, becoming one of the principal economic activities of western Sicily.

The landscape is formed by a network of shallow evaporation ponds, canals and embankments supplied with seawater, where salt is produced through the natural action of sun and wind. Traditional windmills once regulated the movement of water between the basins and, in some cases, powered the grinding of harvested salt. Many of these distinctive towers remain among the defining features of the coastline, while several salt pans continue to preserve traditional methods of production.

Today the salt pans are protected as the Riserva naturale orientata Saline di Trapani e Paceco, covering around 1,000 hectares of coastal wetlands managed by WWF Italy. The reserve provides habitat for flamingos and many other migratory birds while preserving a cultural landscape that reflects centuries of salt production and the close relationship between industry, nature and the sea.