Abandoned harbour of the tuna fishermen near Trapani by Silva Wischeropp

About "Abandoned harbour of the tuna fishermen near Trapani"

by Silva Wischeropp

About the artwork

This mysterious photographic image was taken in the midday hours of 6 July 2019 in Bonagia (Tonnara di Bonagia), near Trapani, on the magical island of Sicily in southern Italy.
The motif shows very old, dilapidated wooden and fishing boats of the former tuna fishermen, which now lie abandoned on the beach of the bay on the west coast of Sicily. The motif was photographed with the Nikon D800.
In Bonagia, in front of a small, charming harbour, is the Tonnara di Bonagia, one of the most important and oldest tuna processing plants in the area.
It belonged to the Burgarella family and in the 16th century was a baglio with a clear dual function as a production site and a defence structure. In fact, the watchtower complemented the tonnara. Only the tower, a church and a central courtyard remain from this old complex. The current building dates back to the 17th century, although the tonnara was probably already in use in ancient times or since the 13th century.
Today, the complex has been dismantled and its components sold and removed to build a tourist accommodation centre. This also includes the tower of the old tonnara, which was built from the end of the 16th and in the 17th century and had a defensive function in connection with the neighbouring tonnara.
In front of the tower, you can admire the historic boats, the so-called muciare, which were once used for tuna fishing. Since 2019, the inside of the tower has housed the Museum of Maritime Activities (Museo delle attività marinare), where old tools for catching and processing tuna are on display and where you can also see a model of a tonnara.
The use of classic black and white colours lends the natural motif a timeless and elegant atmosphere.