Scopello, Trapani

Scopello
Scopello
Frazione
	Panorama of Scopello
	Scopello Location of Scopello in Italy
	Coordinates: 38°04′13″N12°49′05″E / 38.07028°N 12.81806°E Coordinates: 38°04′13″N12°49′05″E / 38.07028°N 12.81806°E
Country	Italy
Region	Sicily
Province	Palermo (PA)
Comune	Castellammare del Golfo
Elevation	106 m (348 ft)
Population (2001)
• Total	118
Demonym(s)	Scopellesi
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	90014
Dialing code	(+39) 0924

Last updated August 28, 2021

Scopello is a coastal village, in the municipality of Castellammare del Golfo in the province of Trapani in Italy.

Territory

The village rose around a little baglio which is 10 kilometres from Castellammare del Golfo. Its inhabitants are 118,^[1] but in summer they become about 2,000. Near it there are the Riserva naturale dello Zingaro (Nature Oriented Reserve lo Zingaro) and Scopello’s stacks (the Faraglioni) with the adjoining tonnara. Its name probably derives from the words stacks or rocks (scopulus in Latin and scopelos in Greek). At few kilometres from the baglio there is Guidaloca, a bay bounded by "Pizzo della Gnacara" and la "Puntazza". Inside it you will find an arc-shaped large beach, formed by pebbles, 400 metres long. West of the “cala”(a bay) there is a cylindrical tower dating back to the 16th century, placed to guard that part of coast..

History

The first settlement dates back to the Hellenistic Era, and continued through the Roman and Islamic Ages. During the Norman period it was a Crown property. In the 13th century the emperor Frederick II of Swabia granted Scopello’s land to Oddone de Camerana, a Piedmontese, and to the Lombard knights who arrived in Sicily with him. In 1237 Oddone di Camerana and his Lombard knights moved to Corleone, and the emperor gave Scopello as a feud to the town Monte San Giuliano (now Erice). The present village dates back to the 17th century and is divided into two parts: a baglio, which is assigned to the Norman period, but dating back to the 18th century, and a small square with the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie (Our Lady of Graces), a parish since 1961, together with a few houses. Ferdinand II of Bourbon chose the area of Scopello, with its near wood, as the royal hunting reserve, visiting it twice, in 1830 and 1859. After the unity of Italy, it was bought at very low prices by some members of Mafia of Castellammare del Golfo who had supported the unification cause and then sold these lands at market price.

When to go

As Scopello is a touristic seaside resort, the best period is from April to October, but in winter you can also visit it together with the numerous near attractions such as: Castellammare del Golfo, Calatafimi-Segesta, Alcamo, Riserva naturale dello Zingaro, Erice, San Vito Lo Capo.^[2]

The Tonnara

The tonnara of Scopello is one of the most important and oldest ones in Sicily: the first buildings date back to the 13th century; the proper tonnara was built in the 15th century by Giovanni Sanclemente and enlarged by the Sanclemente family during the 16th century. Later it passed to the Society of Jesus and finally to the Florio family. In the last years, the Tonnara becomes popular with tourists from all over the world, especially since the location became the backdrop of some international movies and tv series productions.^[3]

Images

The stacks and tonnara of Scopello
The stacks of Scopello
The entrance to Scopello's baglio
The watering hole near the baglio
The small church of Scopello
The "tonnara" of Scopello
Torre Bennistra (the tower)

Notes

1.^ Dati Istat 2001, dawinci.istat.it. URL consultato l'08-12-2011.

2.^ Fonte Istat 2001

3.^ Il baglio di Scopello

4.^ Chiesascopellobalatadibaida.it

Related Research Articles

Note abitanti =

Trapani is a city and municipality (comune) on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an important fishing port and the main gateway to the nearby Egadi Islands.

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Trapani is a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily, southern Italy. Following the suppression of the Sicilian provinces, it was replaced in 2015 by the Free municipal consortium of Trapani. Its capital is the city of Trapani. It has an area of 2,469.62 square kilometres (953.53 sq mi) and a total population of 433,826 (2017). There are 25 comunes in the province.

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Riserva naturale dello zingaro was the first natural reserve set up in Sicily in May 1981, located almost completely in the municipal territory of San Vito Lo Capo. It stretches along some seven kilometers of unspoilt coastline of the Gulf of Castellammare and its mountain chain, the setting of steep cliffs and little bays.

Alcamo Marina is a seaside resort in the north-western part of Sicily and in the town territory of Alcamo. It is situated 6 km far from it, about 5 km from the small town of Castellammare del Golfo, 16 km from the village of Scopello, and 49 km from the famous seaside resort of San Vito Lo Capo. Alcamo Marina is characterized by a very fine, golden sand beach about 7 km long, absolutely free.

For the Love of Mariastella is a 1946 Italian melodrama film written and directed by Pino Mercanti. Based on a story of the Sicilian writer Giuseppe Zucca, it was mainly shot in the tonnara of Castellammare del Golfo, with some scenes shot in the tonnaras of Scopello and of San Vito Lo Capo. It is considered as a progenitor of pink neorealism.

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Camillo Camilliani was an Italian architect, military engineer and sculptor. He is mostly known for the design of watchtowers and other fortifications around the coasts of Sicily.

The gulf of Castellammare is a large and deep natural inlet going from Capo Rama and Capo San Vito near San Vito Lo Capo, in the province of Trapani. It is located on the western coast of Sicily and it faces the Tyrrhenian Sea.

The Roman furnaces in Alcamo are part of the archaeological complex of Alcamo Marina and were discovered in 2000.

Spirito Santo is a Catholic church located in Alcamo, in the province of Trapani, Sicily.

References

↑ Fonte Istat 2015
↑ Scopello, San Vito lo Capo, Marsala and their surroundings visitsicily.info
↑ Places in Sicily: Scopello

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[1] Fonte Istat 2015

[2] Scopello, San Vito lo Capo, Marsala and their surroundings visitsicily.info

[3] Places in Sicily: Scopello

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