Sibilian Tower in Petrosino

Petrosino it is not only a place to love for its culinary excellence and the many festivals that are organized here every summer but it is also a land rich in history, whose signs are clearly visible in the architecture present on its territory.
An example is the Sibilian Tower in Petrosino, a structure that was born as sighting tower of the system created by the Spaniards but which has a history that tells a thousand anecdotes. For those who might be interested in visiting it, below is a short guide with the main information for organizing the tour.

The history of the Sibiliana Tower in Petrosino

La history of the Sibilian Tower in Petrosino it is very old. Officially the first documents that speak of this fortification date back to 1524 as it was a lookout point that was part of the defensive system that the Spanish rulers they had organized to counter the Saracen raids.

In reality, the architecture of the structure speaks of a much more distant foundation than time, given that it is typically medieval. It was probably originally created not only for defensive purposes but also with the more economic and commercial objective of spot tuna in the bay and give directions to the tuna traps which came into action soon after. This sighting function, then, had been partly taken over by the Spaniards who had restructured the tower and probably added a plan to be able to spot in advance and much further away any enemy ships. In fact, similar to the Sibiliana Tower in Petrosino, many others can be found along the coast.

Architecture and any works of art present in the Sibiliana Tower in Petrosino

From an architectural point of view, the Sibiliana Tower in Petrosino has one typically medieval structure. Its overall height is about 12 meters and it is positioned on the highest point of the hills of the village, from where you can enjoy the best view of the bay.

The tower has a square plan and the shape of a parallelepiped, moreover it has no scarp or base or offsets. The vault of the tower is real and the construction was made with the sack masonry technique, which is linked to the thickness of the walls which is approximately one metre. Externally it has no decoration but some are visible on its surface drains and different loopholes which obviously were used for enemy sighting.

The name of Torre Sibiliana is probably linked to the legend that wants the Sibyl to have found a home in the area or to the sad one story of Scibilia Nobili, a young woman kidnapped by Saracen pirates who was held prisoner in this very place for a long time.

What you can do around or inside the Sibiliana Tower in Petrosino

The interior of the Sibiliana Tower in Petrosino cannot be visited, so you can only admire its exterior with a walk up to the promontory. However Petrosino offers many other attractions, so certainly one visit to the village it will not disappoint even the most demanding traveler. For example, the area is also known for its beautiful beaches, among which we must mention that of Biscionewith white sand. Furthermore, with a few minutes by car you can reach many surrounding places that are worthy of a visit. For example, in the immediate vicinity there is Marsala, an Arab-style town which also preserves traces of the passage of the Romans, as can be admired in the very rich Lilybaeum Archaeological Park where there are even artifacts from the Carthaginian era.

How to get to Petrosino

To get to Petrosino and admire the Sibiliana Tower, the most convenient choice is that of theauto: from Trapani and Palermo the locality can be reached via the A29 and then continuing on the SS 115 in the direction of Marsala up to the destination.

However, it is also possible to reach the village with the train as Petrosino is located on the Palermo-Trapani line and has its own train station, which is that of Petrosino-Strasatti.

Finally, whoever considers it more convenientbus numbers, you can take advantage of the local lines provided by the AST company which connect Petrosino from Trapani.