MAZARA DEL VALLO
this small town looks on to the canal-harbour at the mouth of the Mazaro river. A flourishing wine-producing and fishing centre, it is one of the most active maritime and fishing ports in western Sicily. An ancient Phoenician harbour, it belonged for a long time to the sphere of Selinunte, until the arrival of the Carthaginians (fifth century B.C.) and, later, the Roman Colonists In the Middle Ages it was known as Seilnuntina and became a flourishing centre under the Arabs and Normans. The present appearance of the Cathedral (eleventh century) is the result of rebuilding in the late seventeenth century. In the facade, which has a powerful bell tower beside it, is the portal with the figure in relief of Count Roger on horseback (sixteenth century). The interior, which has an aisled nave, is rich in sculptural decorations: to be noted is the Transfiguration by Antonino Gagini in the apse, with ornaments and stuccoes by Ferraro. In the left transept is a Christ Derided by Marabitti and a statue of St. Vincent, the work of Antonello Gagini. The Church of Santa Caterina, behind the Cathedral, has a statue of St. Catherine by Antonello Gagini. In the central Piazza della Repubblica, which is enhanced by the facades of eighteenth century buildings, stands a Statue of St. Vitus in Baroque style by I Marabitti (second half of the eighteenth century). San Nicolò Regale is a small church whose origins go back to the Nornan period (twelfth century). The unusual square structure is topped by battlements.