The saltworks of Trapani

For our only evening in Trapani in July 2025, we booked a tour to the salt pans. This large nature reserve lies south of Trapani. Due to the uniquely flat coastal areas in Sicily, salt has been harvested here for centuries. The large windmills, built in the 17th and 18th centuries to pump water or grind salt, are now museum pieces, but salt is still harvested here using traditional methods. Flamingos, herons, cormorants, and stilts can be observed in the nature reserve. While they used to be migratory birds passing through, some of the flamingos now stay year-round due to climate change and are, of course, a popular subject for photographs.

A small museum is housed in a former mill, offering half-hour guided tours in Italian and English. From here, you can take a pleasant circular walk through the salt pans.

The most beautiful time to visit is in the late afternoon or evening around sunset, when the shallow salt pans are bathed in a spectrum of reds, oranges, and purples. The restaurant next to the museum is a great place to enjoy an aperitif while waiting for this spectacle. If you're lucky, you might even spot flamingos with their stilt-like legs in the mirrored pools – then the photo opportunity is absolutely perfect!