Discover Paceco: Salt Pans, Museums and Churches

Paceco combines salt-pans landscapes, the history of salt, prehistoric finds and historic churches.

Holiday apartment in Paceco between salt pans and nature

The Riserva Naturale Orientata Saline di Trapani e Paceco is one of the last salt pans in Sicily that are still productive. The protected area extends across the municipalities of Trapani, Paceco and Misiliscemi. Guided excursions last around two hours and provide insights into natural features, including birdwatching, as well as the production of salt.

For free guided tours, booking at least one week in advance exclusively online via the WWF website is required. From July to September, you can observe the salt harvest in the Riserva, either on booked excursions or from the roads along the edges of the salt pans. Depending on your interests, this allows you to focus your stay more on observing nature or on the traditional working processes of the salt pans.

The history of salt at the Museo del Sale

The Museo del Sale is located in Contrada Nubia in the municipality of Paceco. It is housed in a 17th-century baglio, an old fortified farm complex that was used for grinding salt.

The tools that are no longer in use are regarded as evidence of industrial archaeology. Next to the Museo del Sale there is also a large, well-preserved windmill. It was formerly used to raise seawater and crush raw salt. The museum is part of the cultural and tourism project “Via del Sale”, which promotes the salt-pan and windmill landscape along the coast of the province of Trapani.

Art, churches and early history

The Chiesa Maria Santissima del Rosario in Paceco is a 17th-century church. During its restoration, the vaults as well as the upper and lower masonry were consolidated and repaired. After the restoration, the church was reopened to the faithful and religious services resumed.

The Museo Civico di Preistoria has been housed since 1980 in the premises of the municipal library of Paceco. It displays materials dating from the Paleolithic to the Middle Ages and exhibits original finds from Sicily and Africa. The museum also organises guided cave visits accompanied by geoarchaeologists or archaeologists.

The Chiesa Madre del SS. Crocifisso was built in 1623 and rebuilt in the mid-18th century based on a design by Giovanni Biagio Amico. Its furnishings include four large altarpieces from the late 17th or early 18th century, donated by Princess Maria Anna Fardella San Severino. The church also has a Crucifixion group made of wood, canvas and glue from workshops in Trapani; the same technique was used as for Trapani’s famous Misteri groups.

Historic traces around Nubia

The Torre saracena di Nubia is located within the Riserva Naturale Orientata Saline di Trapani e Paceco. The Torre di Nubia was built in the 16th century and renovated in 1585 by the Florentine architect Camillo Camilliani. It was later integrated into the defensive system of the Sicilian coast initiated by the Spanish government.

Further destinations

For further orientation, you can also discover Castellammare Del Golfo, Favignana, Valderice, Kamma, Marinella, Ballata, Biscione and Campobello Di Mazara.

For the overarching travel overview: Trapani.