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eventual abandonment of the structure. Between the 11 and 12 centuries 6 active tonnare can
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be documented. A century later, the notary sources reported another 15 tonnare, (SLIDE 21)
and by the 1400’s there were at least 39 active . At the end of the 18 century, the Marquis of
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Villabianca counted 71 sites of which only 9 – according to an optimistic estimate – were
considered inactive or abandoned . In the end, a government commissioned report on the
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Italian tonnare by Pietro Pavesi – completed in May 1886 – found only 21 active fishing sites
left in Sicily (SLIDE 22).
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Today, regardless of the uncertain future of tuna fishing in the Mediterranean - now
mostly carried out by modern fishing fleets - there is a pressing need to involve local
communities, researchers and specialists in the preservation of this productive preindustrial
microcosm. Clearly, traditional tuna fishing has entered a final decline in Sicily, thus making the
preservation of the architectural heritage of the Sicilian tonnare all the more urgent.

The so-called politics of “cultural heritage preservation” appear increasingly similar to
simple declarations of intent unsupported by rigorous scientific programmes and effective
strategies, and usually end up considering the issue exclusively in terms of financial feasibility.
The problem, however, is to repair the damage due to the loss of collective memory, neglect,
speculation and uncontrolled development along the coasts. (SLIDE 23) Furthermore, a
community lucky enough to have such historic sites in its territory must know how to 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 consigned to obscurity. Sea
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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 intentions, can run the risk of
simplification , they are much more effective when the original tonnara buildings are used for
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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

12 H. Bresc, Un monde méditerranéen. Économie et société en Sicile 1300-1450, Accademia delle
Scienze, Lettere e Arti, Palermo 1986, tomo I, pp. 261-273; G.L. de Barberis, Liber de Secretiis,
edited by E. Mazzarese Fardella, Giuffrè, Milano, 1986; C. Camiliani, “Descrittione delle marine
del Regno di Sicilia”, in M. Scarlata, L’opera di Camillo Camiliani cit., p. 640. A. I. Amico di
Castellalfero, “Relazione istoriografica delle città, castelli, forti e torri esistenti ne’ litorali del
Regno di Sicilia”, in S. Di Matteo (edited by), Sicilia 1713. Relazioni per Vittorio Amedeo di
Savoia, Fondazione Lauro Chiazzese, Palermo, 1994, p. 172.
13 F. M. Emmanuele e Gaetani, marchese di Villabianca, “Le tonnare della Sicilia”, in Villabianca,
Le tonnare della Sicilia, edited by Giovanni Marrone, Giada, Palermo, 1986, pp. 35-101; G. B.
Ghisio, Nuova ed esatta carta corografica della Sicilia, Roma, 31 agosto 1779, cm. 154 x 130; F.
C. D’Amico, Osservazioni pratiche intorno alla pesca, corso e camino dei tonni, Messina, 1816.
14 P. Pavesi, “Relazione alla Commissione Reale per le Tonnare”, in Atti della Commissione per
le Tonnare, Roma, 1889, pp. 34-35 e 47-54. R. Sarà, “Una ricostruzione ragionata delle attività
di pesca nella Sicilia dei secoli XIX e XX”, in M. Gangemi (edited by), Pesca e patrimonio
industriale. Tecniche, strutture e organizzazione (Sicilia, Puglia, Malta e Dalmazia tra XIX e
XX secolo), Cacucci, Bari, 2007, pp. 62-68.
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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