Mazara del Vallo is a town in South-Western Sicily, Italy, which lies mainly on the left bank at the mouth of the Mazaro river, administratively part of the province of Trapani. It has 50,377 inhabitants, as of 2001. Sicilian disambiguates here; see also Sicilian language or Sicilian Defence. ... Trapani (It. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ...

It is an agricultural and fishing centre and its port gives shelter to the largest fishing fleet in Italy. Fishing is the activity of hunting for fish. ... A harbor (AmE), harbour (CwE) or haven is a place where ships may shelter from the weather or are stored. ...

History

Mazara was founded by the Phoenicians in the 9th century B.C., with the name of Mazar (the Rock). It then passed under the control of Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, before being occupied by the Arabs in the year 827. During the Arab period, Sicily was divided into three different administrative regions, Val di Noto, Val Demone and Val di Mazara, making the city an important commercial harbour and centre of learning. Nowadays, the city centre, known as the Casbah, is reminiscent of that period, probably the most prosperous in the history of Mazara. Phoenician can mean: The Phoenician ancient civilization The Phoenician alphabet The Phoenician languages This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... A map of the central Mediterranean Sea, showing the location of Carthage (near modern Tunis). ... For other uses, see Roman Empire (disambiguation). ... Byzantine Empire (Greek: ) is the term conventionally used since the 19th century to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... For other uses, see Arab (disambiguation). ... Events Succession of Pope Valentine, then Pope Gregory IV. Arabs invade Sicily. ... The Arabs (Arabic: عرب Ê»arab) are a large and heterogeneous ethnic group found throughout the Middle East and North Africa, originating in the Arabian Peninsula of southwest Asia. ... Sicilian disambiguates here; see also Sicilian language or Sicilian Defence. ... The Casbah (French) or more correctly Qasbah (from Arabic qasbah, قصبة, citadel) is specifically the citadel of Algiers and the traditional quarter clustered round it. ...

In the year 1072, Mazara was conquered by the Normans, headed by Roger I. During that period - in 1093, the Diocese of Mazara, one of the oldest in Europe, was instituted. Events William I of England invades Scotland, and also receives the submission of Hereward the Wake. ... Norman may refer to: the Normans, the Norman people. ... Roger I (1031 – June 22, 1101), Norman ruler of Sicily, was the youngest son of Tancred of Hauteville. ... // Events Donald III of Scotland comes to the throne of Scotland. ... Pope Pius XI blesses Bishop Stephen Alencastre as fifth Apostolic Vicar of the Hawaiian Islands in a Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace window. ...

After the death of Frederick II, Sicily passed to the Angevins, then followed by the Spaniards of Aragon. The Aragon period (1282-1409) is characterized by a political, economic and demographic decline of Mazara. The city passed under the control of the Savoy crown in 1713, a reign which lasted only five years, being replaced by the Austrians (for 16 years) followed by the Bourbons. In 1860 the city was finally conquered by Giuseppe Garibaldi and the Mille, thus joining the Kingdom of Sardinia. Frederick II (December 26, 1194 – December 13, 1250), Holy Roman Emperor of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, was pretender to the title of King of the Romans from 1212, unopposed holder of that monarchy from 1215, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 until his death in 1250. ... Angevin is the name applied to three distinct medieval dynasties which originated as counts (from 1360, dukes) of the western French province of Anjou (of which angevin is the adjectival form), but later came to rule far greater areas including England, Hungary and Poland (see Angevin Empire). ... Capital Zaragoza Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 4th  47 719 km²  9,4% Population  â€“ Total (2003)  â€“ % of Spain  â€“ Density Ranked 11th  1 217 514  2,9%  25,51/km² Demonym  â€“ English  â€“ Spanish  Aragonese  aragonés Statute of Autonomy August 16, 1982 ISO 3166-2 AR Parliamentary representation  â€“ Congress seats  â€“ Senate... For broader historical context, see 1280s and 13th century. ... Events January 1 - The Welsh surrender Harlech Castle to the English. ... This article is about the historical region of Savoy. ... // Events April 11 - War of the Spanish Succession: Treaty of Utrecht June 23 - French residents of Acadia given one year to declare allegiance to Britain or leave Nova Scotia Canada first Orrery built by George Graham Ongoing events Great Northern War (1700-1721) War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1713... Bourbon may refer to: Bourbon whiskey House of Bourbon Bourbon biscuits ÃŽle Bourbon was the name of Réunion from 1642 until the French Revolution A class of old garden roses first raised on ÃŽle Bourbon and called Bourbon roses. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... Garibaldi in 1866 Giuseppe Garibaldi (July 4, 1807 – June 2, 1882) was an Italian patriot and soldier of the Risorgimento. ... During the Italian Risorgimento, the volunteers that followed Garibaldi in southern Italy were called Redshirts (Camicie rosse) because of the colour of their shirts (complete uniforms were beyond the finances of the italian patriots). ... Kingdom of Sardinia, in 1839: Mainland Piedmont, with Savoia upper left (pink) and Nizza (Nice) lower left (brown) both now French, and Sardinia in the inset The Kingdom of Sardinia is a former kingdom in Italy. ...

Today

Today Mazara is widely considered to be one of the most important fishing centres of Italy; tussles about fishing rights, especially with the North-African countries, figure large in the town's recent history, boat sequestrations being a common event. Currently the fishing business in the city seems to be withering, mainly because of the increasing lack of people willing to work on boats.

The city was known as Mazzara del Vallo until the World War II period, following which the spelling was changed to Mazara del Vallo. Combatants Allies: • Poland, • UK & Commonwealth, • France/Free France, • Soviet Union, • USA, • China, ...and others Axis: • Germany, • Italy, • Japan, ...and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total: 50 million Full list Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total: 12 million Full list World War II...

Mazara del Vallo is among the Italian cities with the highest percentages of immigrants; it is estimated that the city hosts at least 3,500 registered immigrants, mainly from nearby Tunisia but also the other countries of the Maghreb. They tend to live principally around the old Arab city centre (the Casbah). There exists a local school, managed by the Tunisian government, at which only Arabic and French are taught as languages. This has led to some controversy. It must be noted that most of the local schools show openness to Arab culture, even providing Arabic language classes for both Italians and Arabs, and encouraging integration with the autochthonous students. The local city council also provides a seat reserved for a representative of Mazara's immigrant community. Immigration is the act of moving to or settling in another country or region, temporarily or permanently. ... The Maghreb (المغرب العربي ; sometimes also rendered Moghreb), meaning western in Arabic, is the region of the continent of Africa north of the Sahara desert and west of the Nile — specifically, the modern countries of Morocco, Western Sahara (annexed and occupied by Morocco), Algeria, Tunisia, Libya — and to a much lesser extent... Arabic can mean: From or related to Arabia From or related to the Arabs The Arabic language; see also Arabic grammar The Arabic alphabet, used for expressing the languages of Arabic, Persian, Malay ( Jawi), Kurdish, Panjabi, Pashto, Sindhi and Urdu, among others. ... The Arabs (Arabic: عرب ʻarab) are a large and heterogeneous ethnic group found throughout the Middle East and North Africa, originating in the Arabian Peninsula of southwest Asia. ... A city council is the most common style of legislative government in a city or town. ...

Mazara made national news in March 1998, when a bronze statue called the 'Dancing Satyr' (Satiro Danzante) was found off the port, at a depth of 500 meters in the Strait of Sicily by a local fishing boat. The statue is believed to have been sculpted by Greek artist Praxiteles and is now on display to the public in a dedicated museum in the city, after having been on show at the Chamber of Deputies of Rome, and in Aichi, Japan. After this event, the city quickly gained in terms of visiting tourists and a national advertising campain was mounted with the slogan Mazara del Satiro. Look up March in Wiktionary, the free dictionary March is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... Assorted ancient bronze castings found as part of a cache, probably intended for recycling. ... The history Links Central Institute for the Restoration - English version An article in English about the Dancing Satyr About Mazara del Vallo and the Dancing Satyr ... The Strait of Sicily is the strait between Sicily and Tunisia. ... Praxiteles of Athens, the son of Cephisodotus, was the greatest of the Attic sculptors of the 4th century BC, who has left an imperishable mark on the history of art. ... The Chamber of Deputies is the name given to the lower house of the bicameral legislatures of the following countries: It is also the name given to the unicameral parliaments of the following countries: Historically, the Chamber of Deputies (fr:Chambre des députés) was the lower house of... City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus – SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April753 BC mythical, 1st millennium BC Region Latium Mayor Walter Veltroni (Left-Wing Democrats) Area  - City Proper  1285 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 2,553,873 almost 4,300,000 1. ... Aichi can refer to: Aichi Prefecture Aichi Steel Corporation This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Pietro Consagra, a famous artist, was a native of Mazara. Pietro Consagra Pietro Consagra (born on October 6, 1920 in Mazara del Vallo, Italy - died July 16, 2005 in Milan, Italy) was an Italian sculptor known for his abstract sculptures mainly in iron and bronze. ... Look up Artist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Artist Artist is a descriptive term applied to a person who engages in an activity deemed to be an art. ...

Transport Connections

Mazara del Vallo is connected to the rest of Sicily by a regional train service (run by Trenitalia), private bus service, and by car, via the A29 highway (also known as Palermo-Mazara del Vallo). It is also easily reachable from the nearby airports of Trapani and Palermo. For other types of train see train (disambiguation) In rail transport, a train consists of a single or several connected rail vehicles that are capable of being moved together along a guideway to transport freight or passengers from one place to another along a planned route. ... Trenitalia is the primary operator of trains within Italy. ... TheBus, established by Mayor Frank Fasi, is Honolulus only public transit system. ... A small variety of cars, the most popular kind of automobile. ... Highway in Pennsylvania, USA For other uses, see Highway (disambiguation). ... Nickname: Palermu Motto: Official website: http://www. ... Palermo International Airport, also known as Falcone-Borsellino Airport and Punta Raisi Airport is located at Punta Raisi, 32km (19 miles) west of Palermo, the capital city of the Italian island of Sicily. ...

During the summer period, Mazara is also connected via ferry to Pantelleria. The Pride of Burgundy, a P&O Ferries car ferry on the Dover-Calais route A ferry is a boat or a ship carrying passengers, and sometimes their vehicles, on scheduled services. ... Location of Pantelleria. ...

External links

• Travel guide to Mazara del Vallo from Wikitravel
• ((Italian)) Official website of the Comune of Mazara del Vallo
• ((Italian)) History of the city of Mazara del Vallo
• ((Italian)) History of the local Diocese
• ((Italian)) Article about the immigration issue in Mazara del Vallo
• ((Italian)) ((English)) Cerchiamo Denise