San Vito lo Capo
Gibellina
Two an a half thousand years ago, the lagoon island between the towns of Marsala and Trapani was an ancient Phoenician city. Today it is a beautiful archeological site with museum, that displays the finds - from small jewelry to life-size statues (including the world famous 'giovane di Mozia'). Note the intact rectangular harbor basin (the Kothon), some beautiful mosaics and the Necropolis, that survived the millennia.
The Island is property of the Whitaker family.
Joseph Whitaker, a successful winemaker and ornithologist
bought the island in the 80s of the 19th Century and devoted the last years of his life devoted to archeology.
He excavated the remains of the Phoenician city, which since the destruction by Dionisos 397 BC, never had been rebuilt. Incidentally, it had been Joseph Whitaker's grandfather, who in the early 19th Century, laid the foundations for the worldwide fame of Marsala Wine and the wealth of the family.
This family now operates the archaeological park as a non-profit organisation.
To get to the island you have to take a small ferry. Transfer (incl. Admission to the museum) cost around €9. Mozia is on Italy's application list for the status as a World Heritage Site.
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