Castellammare del Golfo is a popular seaside resort that overlooks the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the province of Trapani. The town lies on a rocky promontory that is set in the middle of the namesake Gulf. The economy of this small city is based mainly on trade thanks to its very active port, where it plays a significant traffic export of agricultural products. In recent years the town has been proposed as an important hub of tourist attraction, exploiting the extraordinary natural beauty of its coastline and its immediate hinterland.
The city was founded as a port of the most famous Segesta during the Greek colonization of Sicily. Under the Arabs the center was called Al Madarig, which means the Stairs. During this domination it was first built the fortress and the tunny-fishing grounds, which gaves great development to the area. In the Norman age the fortress was further expanded, and became a castle, from which derives the final name of Castellammare. During the Aragonese period the town was provide with a port and became an important commercial hub for the export of wheat.
Nowaday the castle rises, almost intact, on the small peninsula from where we dominate the entire gulf. Inside are hosted several exhibitions, including the Archaeological Museum that features many testimonies on the history of the city. To the right and left of this promontory extend the two main beaches of Castellammare del Golfo, characterized by a beautiful sandy coastline. A few kilometers from the town lies Guidaloca Bay, which is a great pebble beach, nearly 500 meters long. It is also interesting the hinterland, with various localities scattered in the Sicilian country.
