Largo Balata – Loggia degli scieri

The Largo Balata takes its name from the stone slabs, called balate in Sicilian dialect, with which the space in front of the tuna fishery, in front of the small port, is appropriately paved, in order both to facilitate the hauling of boats and to make it easier to land the tuna caught.
The Loggia degli Scieri is a single large room used to shelter the tuna boats, which were hauled directly out to sea from here. The facade of the Loggia is characterized by the three large gates that allowed the entrance and exit of scieri and muciare; these typical boats represented the symbols of Marzamemi‘s local economy and culture. In the early 1900s the tuna fishery complex was completed with the construction of the camperia; inside the Loggia the first phase of tuna processing was carried out: by means of winches, after being washed, they were hung by the tail from special beams called appindituri, where they remained at least twenty-four hours to bleed.