A Phoenician island in the Stagnone lagoon and the Youth of Motya
In the shallow lagoon of the Stagnone, north of Marsala, lies the small island of Mozia, ancient Motya, one of the most important Phoenician colonies in the Mediterranean, founded in the eighth century BC. It was destroyed in 397 BC by Dionysius I of Syracuse and never rebuilt, which preserved its ruins.
At the beginning of the twentieth century the island was bought by the English archaeologist and wine merchant Joseph Whitaker, who began the excavations. A path around the island leads to the Cothon, an artificial dock, the tophet sanctuary, the city gates and the remains of houses with mosaics. The Whitaker Museum displays the Youth of Motya, a marble statue of a young man in a pleated tunic, found in 1979 and one of the masterpieces of Greek sculpture.
Tip: the island is reached by a short boat ride from the jetty near the salt pans; in ancient times a causeway, now submerged, linked it to the mainland.
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