Agriturismo Baglio Donnafranca Wine Resort
Marsala - Contrada Baronazzo Amafi, 17
Agriturismo Baglio Donnafranca Wine Resort is surrounded by vineyards in the Marsala countryside.
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Located on the western tip of Sicily, Marsala is a fascinating city—elegant and vibrant—that tourism has yet to fully appreciate.
The Phoenicians and Arabs were among the key figures in its long history: the former left an old colony on an enchanting island, whilst the latter gave the city its name.
An Englishman is credited with inventing Marsala wine, but it was an entirely Italian family who made it famous throughout the world.
Spend at least a day discovering this city: admire the elegant buildings of the historic centre, sip a glass of fortified wine in the tasting room of a historic winery, stroll through the salt pans and watch the romantic sunset that captivated the renowned filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni.
Oh, you may already know this: Marsala was the site of Garibaldi’s historic landing, who subsequently made sure to visit the wine cellars.
The enchanting centre of Marsala is somewhat reminiscent of Palermo, with its Baroque buildings, marble-paved streets, elegant piazzas, gateways and archways opening onto the sea, and a lively fish market.
Overlooking the central Piazza della Repubblica are the elegant historic buildings of the town hall and the Cathedral1, the Parish Church of San Tommaso di Canterbury, constructed over more than a hundred years from 1628 to the early eighteenth century. The cathedral’s current appearance is the result of restoration work carried out in 1956, thanks to a substantial donation from a native of Marsala who had returned home after years abroad.
The city’s most famous tourist attraction is the Baglio Anselmi Archaeological Museum2: housed within an old wine-producing facility, it displays inscriptions carved on stone slabs, ceramics and terracotta from the Hellenistic and Roman periods.
Visitors come here intrigued by the collection’s star piece: an ancient Punic liburna, a Punic ship that sank in the waters of the Aegadian archipelago more than 3,000 years ago.
Museum admission also grants access to the Lilibeo Archaeological Park3, where the remains of a Roman villa with baths, built between the late second and early third century AD, are preserved.
Other interesting or curious museums to visit in Marsala and its surroundings include:
The hinterland of Marsala is enchanting to explore, with its vineyards and ancient bagli, typical Sicilian buildings that combined productive and defensive purposes, scattered about.
Just outside Marsala, as you drive along the coastal road in the direction of Trapani, your eyes will be captivated by the romantic vista of salt pans with windmills, nestled within the distinctive natural environment of the Stagnone Nature Reserve4.
The sunset over the Stagnone lagoon is so romantic and evocative that filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni chose this very image for the moving finale of a tourism promotional video commissioned by the Sicilian Region.
This natural landscape is also a paradise for birdwatching enthusiasts who, armed with patience and binoculars, can spot flamingos, cormorants and black-winged stilts.
Surrounded by the waters of the Stagnone lagoon are several small islands, including Motya Island5, which is worth a visit for its rich history and beautiful landscape.
Once a Phoenician colony, the island still preserves numerous artefacts and it was here that the celebrated Young Man of Motya from 450 BC was discovered—one of the most precious sculptures in Italy’s artistic heritage. The island can be visited on foot in about two hours following marked trails.
The city of Marsala is famous for its distinctive fortified wine, a product fundamental to the Marsala economy, considering that 80% of the territory’s agricultural land is devoted to vineyards.
Whether you’re a passionate wine taster or simply curious, you cannot miss sampling a glass of Marsala if you pass through here, and perhaps also visiting the wineries that have shaped the history of this elegant and complex wine.
The wine that bears the name of this splendid Sicilian city is actually the invention of Englishman John Woodhouse, a Liverpool merchant who, in the eighteenth century, found himself in Marsala during a business trip to Sicily and had the opportunity to taste a fine local wine, usually reserved for special occasions.
Woodhouse recognised its great potential and decided to take some home, but to preserve it during the long journey back, he added a little brandy.
Woodhouse himself and other English entrepreneurs were the first producers of Marsala wine, but their monopoly was broken when the wealthy Florio family entered the market.
A visit to the Florio Wineries is a must for anyone who comes to Marsala: opened in 1833, they are a true city institution.
Step inside these legendary cellars, which throughout their eventful history have boasted illustrious visitors such as Garibaldi, Mussolini and King Victor Emmanuel II, and discover the extraordinary story of the Florios, who through foresight and entrepreneurial intuition managed to become the world’s most famous Marsala producers in just a few years.
At the entrance you will be “greeted” by eight giant vats from the nineteenth century, still used today for ageing Marsala, after which you can visit historic rooms and the atmospheric barrel rooms.
The guided tour ticket includes a tasting of four wines (Corvo, Duca di Salaparuta and Florio) with matching food pairings in the modern Donna Franca Tasting Room, accompanied by background music and evocative lighting effects.
It is an emotional tasting experience in which all your senses are engaged, stimulated by colours, sounds and aromas.
A visit to the Pellegrino Wineries in Marsala, founded in 1880 by notary Carlo Pellegrino, begins at the Ouverture wine bar, just steps from the sea, where you can taste over 400 wines.
This innovatively designed building spans three floors and also includes a conference area, a relaxation space and a guest house. For wine tourists, Ouverture represents the beginning of a journey back in time along the wine production chain.
The visit to the historic cellars includes a guided tasting of 4 wines paired with dry local pastries.
Within an ancient baglio that once belonged to the Montalto family, owners of the wineries of the same name, lies the Wine Museum, of considerable ethno-anthropological importance as it highlights rural life and the inhabitants of the baglio.
This collection of fifty pieces on permanent display bears witness to a wine-producing activity that has been passed down through four generations.
In the following map you can see the location of the main places of interest mentioned in this article.
Marsala is approximately 120 km from Palermo and 30 km from Trapani; it is connected to the Sicilian capital and Trapani by direct buses and trains. If you have a rental car or your own vehicle, you can reach Marsala from Palermo by taking the A29 motorway.
Although with fewer routes than Trapani, Marsala’s port has some ferry connections to the splendid Aegadian Islands, but only in the summer months.
Marsala is an absolute must-visit destination on a tour of western Sicily: visitors choose it for the beauty of its historic centre, definitely the most atmospheric area to stay, and as a base for visiting the cellars of the renowned Marsala wine. The hotel offering is extensive and varied—you’ll find everything from luxury hotels to B&Bs in historic palaces, from family-run guesthouses to apartments and holiday rentals; simply take your pick.
We offer a selection of hotels at Marsala to suit all categories of travellers. The most booked by tourists are the sea-facing hotels, often right on the beach. If you want to play it safe, choose one of the following: they are among the most booked hotels in Marsala, sorted by number of reviews.
If you prefer space, privacy and the ability to prepare your own meals to a hotel holiday, book a holiday home at Marsala. We recommend a few below, but in this case we advise you to book early because houses and apartments for rent at Marsala are in high demand.
What's the weather at Marsala? Below are the temperatures and the weather forecast at Marsala for the next few days.
Marsala is located 30 km south of Trapani and is Sicily's westernmost town.
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