Isola di Mozia – Mothia Island

Located across from the Saline Ettore ed Inversa, Ettore and Inversa Saltworks, lies the tiny island of Mozia.  Just a short boat ride from the saltworks, upon stepping on to the island you are embraced by the stillness and peaceful sounds of nature. On the day I visited, as I walked along the path leading to the Museum, there was an enchanting fluttering of butterflies  taking place all around me.

In Mozia you can visit the Archeological Museum displaying artifacts recovered from the archeological sites of the island dating back to the time when the Phoenicians settled the island.  After the Museum, a walk around the island offers a view of the archeological sites.

For centuries the island was in ruins and abandoned. However, in the early XX Century, the island was purchased by Giuseppe Whitaker. To paraphrase a plaque on display in one of the courtyards you walk through upon entering the island, it was thanks to Whitaker’s  studies and perseverance that  light was brought back to shine upon history, a history that had been silenced for centuries.

View of Mozia upon arrival by boat

Inside the museum stands the statue of the Youth of Mozia

Phoenician ceramic

On display many examples of the techniques adopted by the Phoenicians in extracting color from  mollusk.

A walk around the Sacred Area of the Kothon

Walking around this tiny island it was the stillness that allowed me reflect and think of the volume of the history contained in these ruins.

There is just something magical about Mozia and it is certainly worth a visit when visiting the Western Coast of Sicily.