Mirabilia Urbis is a municipal museum of Mazara del Vallo, housed in the deconsecrated church of San Bartolomeo, in the old town. It holds the finds from the archaeological site of Roccazzo and other objects discovered in the municipal territory.
What to see
Among the Roccazzo finds, those from the so-called «Shaman's tomb» stand out: a necklace, several chipped stone tools, small cylinders of red ochre, bowls and containers. There are also Corinthian pottery, such as aryballoi and a skyphos, and Attic pottery of the fifth century BC, such as lamps and lekythoi.
The church also has a long history. The first church of San Bartolomeo, from around 1319, stood by the hypogeum of the same name, at Miragliano, on the right bank of the river Mazaro; in July 1431 the confraternity built one inside the town, and in May 1601 Bishop Luciano De Rubeis laid the first stone of the present church, in what was then the piano dei Sansoni. The portal is framed by tuff mouldings and topped by a window divided by small columns; higher up runs a stone band with metopes and triglyphs, and on the right is a small bell gable. The interior has three naves, with round arches on tuff piers and a barrel vault over the central nave.
Visiting
The museum was temporarily closed on 30 June 2011 after plaster fell from the ceiling: before going, check with the town council whether it is open and at what times.
Our editors' tip
Under the church floor there are several crypts: some were reserved for the town's noble families, others for public burial.
