One of the most fascinating parts of our Sicily trip was visiting the Trapani Salt Pans and the Museo del Sale (Salt Museum). The long history of salt-making on the west coast of Sicily from Trapani to Marsala dates back to the 1400’s when the Phoenicians brought their salt-making knowledge to Sicily. Trapani had the perfect location for salt-making. It was on the coast with easy access to saltwater and had both sun and lots of wind for evaporation which led to the production of salt, considered white gold because of its value in preserving food. In fact, the word salary comes from the salt that the Romans would pay their legionnaires.

  The Museum’s docent explained how the salt was harvested from the sea by using windmill power to both pump the water into the salt pans and also to turn the grindstone. An Archimedes screw was used to move the water from one pan to another as more water evaporated. Then the physical labor began as men called the Salinari, shoveled the salt into small piles to continue to dry.  When dry, the men then shoveled the salt into large pails which they carried on their backs and put into a much larger pile which was then covered with terracotta tiles to protect it. The teams of men were paid by the total pails they carried, and the supervisor kept track by using a wooden counter and adding them up by the dozens. When ready for shipment, the salt was shoveled into barrels and moved into boats which carried it to larger boats in the harbor where it was again shoveled by hand into huge buckets lowered from the ship. It was then dumped into the hold of the ship.  It was a labor-intensive process. 

  Other workers in the salt pans were the young boys who carried water to the workers, who did their harvesting in the heat of July and August.  Many grew up to become Salinari. Sadly, the Salinari would often develop serious vision impairment from working with the bright white salt in the glare of the sun and also from the salt dust. Some lost their sight completely.

  Back in the day when the seawater was pumped into the first salt pan it would be filled with fish, which would be sold or eaten. This practice is now banned with a focus on protecting the wildlife along the shore. 

  The restoration of some of the old salt pans is now being done by young people interested in artisanal salt production. The Trapanese are justly proud of their brilliantly white salt. In fact, our guide said that the pink Himalayan salt that we use is actually from Pakistan and its pink color comes from rust, aka iron oxide.  I looked it up.  She’s absolutely correct, I’m sorry to say.

   The perfect white salt of Trapani remains the white gold standard.