The salt pans between Trapani and Marsala are a remarkable landscape — a series of shallow rectangular basins separated by low earthen walls, with old stone windmills rising at intervals above the flat terrain. The Riserva Naturale Saline di Trapani e Paceco is a protected nature reserve and the salt pans are still actively worked: the salt harvest (raccolto del sale) takes place in summer, when the crystals accumulate in the shallow pans and are piled into white heaps by workers using traditional wooden tools.
The reserve is an important staging post for migratory birds, and flamingoes, herons, and various waders are present for much of the year. The best light for photography is the late afternoon, when the sun drops toward the Egadi Islands and the pans take on pinks and golds. A visitor centre near the reserve entrance has exhibits on the history and ecology of the salt pans; the adjacent Mulino Infersa windmill has been restored and demonstrates the traditional milling process.