Salt Museum in Paceco

Il Salt Museum in Paceco is located in the municipality of the same name located in province of Trapani, is located along the itinerary called la Salt Road and has been included in the official guide of the European Union regarding museums in the Mediterranean area.

History of the Salt Museum in Paceco

The Salt Museum in Paceco was born at the behest of Alberto Culcasi, its owner, who, thanks to the collaboration of the Faculty of Letters and Architecture of the University of Palermo, of the Municipality of Paceco itself and of the Provincial Tourist Board of Trapani, was able to found this place capable of exhaustively narrating the history of salt pans of Trapani.

Architecture and any works of art present in the Salt Museum in Paceco

The Salt Museum in Paceco is an all-round work of art, as it is located inside an old farm fortress called a baglio.
In the seventeenth century it was used for the salt milling through the annex windmill.

Inside the structure, on the other hand, numerous black and white shots are exhibited aimed at testifying the previous modus operandi, as well as ancient tools work of salt workers, just think of the ntinni (wooden blades of the mills), of the baskets used for transporting salt called cattedri, of the tumblers for compacting the bottom of the salt pans, of the wooden strips for measuring the salt, of the screw or Archimedes' coil to aspire the fridda (the water from the tub).

There is also the mighty millstone to refine the salt, the barrel-wagon transported by mule to quench the workers' thirst plus nets and pots, given that in salt pans valuable fish such as sea bass and sea bream were bred.
Each exhibit is also accompanied by detailed explanatory cards, thanks to which it is possible to learn about the different stages of processing of one of the most important raw materials in the world.
Also worthy of attention are the painted doors, the terracotta floor plus the stone walls, witnesses of ancient traditions.

What you can do inside the Salt Museum in Paceco and its surroundings

In addition to visiting the curious finds kept inside the Salt Museum in Paceco, it is recommended to take the Via del Sale, an interesting itinerary so called because it combines the twenty-seven salt pans still active distributed among the areas of Paceco, Marsala and Trapani.
Along the way it is in fact possible to admire some windmills that have been restored and even converted into museums.
The distance is only three kilometers and nearby there is a suggestive nature reserve or, the Oriented nature reserve Saline di Trapani and Paceco.

How is it possible to get to the Salt Museum in Paceco

The address of the Salt Museum is Via Chiusa, Nubia Paceco, a locality located in the province of Trapani.
The attraction is reachable by car from the following locations:
Trapani: the route lasts only fifteen minutes, just take the Provincial Road 21;
Palermo: the distance is about an hour and a half (there are 112,7 km) and you need to go through the E90 and A29 motorways in the direction of E933.

Bultro, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons