Project Description
Vento di Vino
Vento di Vino
Where is it
The Vento di Vino Wind Park, situated about 10 kilometres from the coast on a slight rise that overlooks the sea in the Municipality of Mazara del Vallo, came into operation in 2011 and is made up of seven 3.4 MW wind turbines. The park generates a total of approximately 23.8 MW and, in the year it began operating, it held an important record in being the wind park with the most powerful turbines in Italy.
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 Where to eat and sleep |
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Browse the map and discover the places to visit, where to eat and where to stay, chosen by Legambiente
The name of the wind park represents a marriage of the old and the new, between traditional farming knowledge and avantgarde technology in producing energy – where the wind is the main player. The 7 turbines perfectly blend in with the surrounding vast stretches of vineyards that produce the many AOC wines of the Province of Trapani. Here, the wind that drives the turbines is the same that gently blows through the vines creating the right balance of humidity, salinity and temperature needed for ripening the grapes. Pruning the vines to ensure the right circulation and strength of wind is an old technique that the farmers renew every year. Therefore, if you a wine lover, don’t miss out on the opportunity to visit one of the numerous cellars in the area, many still being found in the characteristic “bagli” area (bagghiu in dialect).
The wind and history
For cycling and hiking enthusiasts, this section of Mazara del Vallo offers a widespread network of roads and paths that crisscross vineyards and olive groves, as well as wide stretches of “sciara”, one of the many Mediterranean landscapes characterised by limestone formations, arid terrain and thermo-Mediterranean vegetation.
Still in the Mazara area, we advise visiting the “Nature Reserve of Lago di Preola and Gorghi Tondi”, a wetland not far from the coast with its wealth of fauna and flora biodiversity. All this, with a view of the beaches and Mediterranean Sea which stretches across less than 200 kilometres to the shores of Tunisia.
This proximity to the Arab world is one of the keys to discovering what Mazara del Vallo is all about. Its geographic position has created a bridge linked to all the Mediterranean cultures. The Phoenician, Greek, Roman, Arab and Norman cultures, only to mention a few. All its surrounding region and, even more so, its historical centre, are the result of the different civilisations that have occupied and visited this area over the centuries.
And where the Greeks are concerned, you should not miss a visit to the Museo del Satiro Danzante (Museum of the Dancing Satyr) located in the Sant’Egidio Church where we can see the bronze statue of the dancing satyr found by fishermen in 1997 on the seabed of the Canal of Sicily.
However, it was the Arabs and Normans who truly left their mark on the town. The Saracens who arrived on the Sicilian coasts in 827 established the town based on the Arab urban model that has remained more or less intact up to today. It is the so-called casbah, a densely populated network of small streets, lanes, terraces and courtyards that is now where many of the numerous Arab communities, mainly of Tunisian origins, still live. From a certain point, when entering the casbah, your eyes are immediately drawn to the incredible variety of ceramic tiles and works made by artists and students from the local schools. Visual, plastic and narrative art merges together and accompanies the visitor, recounting stories and poetry, explaining the names of the streets, speaking of peace and legality, and inviting you to reflect. And, it is in this way, that Mazara becomes a town “to be read”.
“In this lane, the wind never stops blowing. Even when a leaf doesn’t move, there is always a breath of wind that touches this place. It is the god Aeolus that keeps watch here. The son of magic, freedom and ambition” – you can read this on the walls of the Vicolo del Vento (Street of Wind).
