Ancient Selinunte was for two hundred years a large and prosperous city and the most westerly Greek settlement in Sicily. Unlike Agrigento, it had an ideal natural harbour and a flourishing school of sculpture. In 409BC the Carthaginians, who resented the Greeks’ constant piratical attacks on their shipping, destroyed the city. Today the imposing ruins of Selinunte form the largest archaeological site in Europe.

The modern seaside town of Marinella di Selinunte is the summer residence of the people of Castelvetrano. Many shops, bars and restaurants stay open all year round but in the months of July and August all remain open until midnight to catch the extra trade of the locals doing the ritual “passeggiata”. During the day everyone goes to the beach, the most popular part being Lido Zabbara.