Underground Marsala – The hidden side of the city
A place where nature blends with history, offering a unique experience of discovery and contemplation.
You will discover the hidden side of Marsala; the part created by the quarrymen during the extraction process.
It is a town with a unique architectural character, formed by limestone pinnacles rising from the depths of the quarry and a succession of majestic walls and cliffs that make the landscape very similar to the Grand Canyon.
It will be a slow and relaxing walk that will take us from ground level down to a depth of 30 metres. The first section will allow us to discover the various wild aromatic plants that fill the path with colours and scents; we will observe the characteristics of the limestone that forms and defines the open-air quarries and discuss the current extraction system.
After a break for refreshments, we will proceed into the quarries’ tunnels, which, given their sheer scale, can be described as vast cathedrals of calcarenite, with their 25-metre pillars and massive walls alternating with the voids carved out by the quarrymen.
- A REFRESHMENT
- THE OWNER WILL BE YOUR GUIDE
Welcome to a place where time stands still and the rock tells its story. The tuff quarries of Marsala are not merely open wounds in the earth: they are luminous scars that hold within them millennia of history, toil, art and culture. In these subterranean silences, the blows of the cantunara – the stone craftsmen, guardians of an ancient knowledge passed down from hand to hand, from father to son – still echo. Every block of tuff quarried has supported churches, palaces, city walls and dreams. Every tunnel dug has shaped not only the landscape, but the very soul of this land. Here, man has conversed with the rock, has designed invisible architecture beneath our feet, has built life from what we now call heritage. Today, those quarries do more than simply recount the past: they continue to speak to the present, welcoming those seeking emotion, beauty and meaning. Discover with us the breath of the earth, where every stone has a story to tell… perhaps even your own.
How it works:
- When booking, please specify the day you wish to take part.
- Times: daily.
- Duration: approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- Languages available: Italian, English, French, German.
- Infants must be carried in a baby carrier alongside an adult.
- We will send you e-tickets via email, so that you can print them or download them to your mobile phone.
Visitors will meet us at the site and leave their cars in the car park by the road, as the tour will be on foot. The guide will meet them there. The route is a circular walk. We will explore the open-air quarries and then the underground tunnels, finally returning to our cars. Refreshments will be served halfway through the walk. It will be a walk that takes us from road level down to -30 metres, which corresponds to the maximum depth reached by the quarrymen. The Quarry Park is in fact situated within quarries previously worked by the former owners, who were quarrymen themselves. Today, the Marsala Quarry Park is a private site, redeveloped by the current owners and transformed into their farm, which, thanks to its cultural significance and scenic beauty, has become a tourist attraction. The park illustrates the various extraction methods used over time, thus preserving the legacy of a craft that is disappearing.
WHERE IT IS LOCATED
Tickets cannot be cancelled or refunded, but you can request a date change by contacting customer services commerciale@marsalavacanze.it. Please give at least 48 hours' notice.
You can view all the information about our returns policy by clicking on the following link: Returns information