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manage its cultural heritage. Likewise, proposals for the creation of specific thematic
museums should not become alibis for not preserving other heritage sites that risk being

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consigned to obscurity. Sea museums, for example, are important because they serve to
educate people and can stimulate interest in local history, but they cannot be expected to

substitute for an actual historic site. Moreover, though the exhibitions, despite the best

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intentions, can run the risk of simplification, they are much more effective when the
original tonnara buildings are used for thematic museum exhibitions.

Furthermore, such a natural expository context permits a more authentic
representation of the actual work of the tonnara as well as a deeper analysis of the relations

of production that determined and regulated human life and activity. Of course, not all the
surviving tonnare can become museums because ownership is often divided, making

agreement about the terms of restoration impossible. It would be desirable, therefore, that

the communities in which these structures are located create conditions favourable to the
reconciliation of the needs and legitimate interests of the property owners and the proposals

by the local authorities to protect and utilize the structures.

The restoration of the grand Stabilimento Florio merits special attention. This tuna
processing plant on the island of Favignana was built in the 1880’s on the shore near the

buildings and storehouses of the ancient tonnara. Acquired by the Regione Siciliana in the
1990’s, it has been restored with significant EU funding (about 15 million Euro) and opened

to the public in 2009. In the meantime, the search for a qualified manager at a national or
international level has also commenced. This enormous area (about 32,000 sq. meters) is

suitable for a variety of uses, including an already scheduled exhibition space.

From this perspective, next to the profit-making activities that are due to start soon –
sports facilities, hotels, etc… – cultural objectives should also be pursued in what is one of

the most evocative locations in western Sicily. In particular, I believe that the Stabilimento
in question must become not only the site of a museum for the two ancient tonnare of

Formica and Favignana, but also the preferred site of a “Historical Museum of the Tonnare
of Sicily” an expository space that would bring together material from the other ancient

Sicilian fishing structures. Such a hypothesis is supported and strengthened by environmental

factors and circumstances difficult to find or replicate elsewhere. In the first place, it should
be noted that since 1991 the area in which the Stabilimento is located has been enhanced by

the creation of the “Natural Marine Reserve of the Egadi Islands.” This is the concrete result

15 P. Frascani, Il mare, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2008 and the review of G. Imbruglia, “Il mare, la sua storia, i musei”, in
Mediterranea. Ricerche storiche, n. 16, agosto 2009, pp. 401-407.
16 A. Buttitta, “Introduzione”, in Esperto nella gestione cit., p. 17.

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