Tonnara of Avola
The Tonnara di Avola was one of the largest in south-eastern Sicily.
Tuna traps have long been a fundamental activity for the economy of Sicily, as evidenced by the fact that in the same area in where there were many other traps, including the trap of Santa Panagia, the trap of Vendicari, the trap of Marzamemi and the trap of Portopalo di Capo Passero.
The trap of Avola, built in 1633, was known with the name of "Tonnara del Fiume di Noto", probably due to its proximity to the mouth of the Asinaro river. Initially the tonnara belonged to the maritime state property governed by a royal court, which leased it to those who requested it. Later it was rented and purchased by several people.
Following the 1963 earthquake that destroyed Avola Antica, the trap was severely damaged. The trap was then sold to the Tornabene family, in 1700R, and some restoration and improvement interventions date back to this period. A building used as the residence of the lords who managed it and a small church were also added to the complex. the course of the tuna and convey them to the capture chamber; Island: an underwater building on which openings called doors are made. The guard boats stop at the various doors and push the tuna from one chamber to the other up to the capture chamber, where the Rais starts the slaughter.
The Tonnara di Avola building is of seventeenth-century origin and has undergone renovations over the centuries. The surviving structure is made up of some warehouses and sheds. The presence of a chimney makes clear the level of industrialization it reached. The heart was the factory, north of the village of Mare Vecchio.
Today, the Tonnara di Avola can only be visited externally.
