Tucked in the western point of Sicily, Salemi is a small town of about 11,000 people tucked into the Belice valley. It sits about 100 kilometers, or about 62 miles, outside of Palermo and is near Segesta and Selinunte, a pair of ancient cities that were constantly at war with each other. All that’s left of these two relics are some stoic Greek temples. Though the town is modestly sized, it possesses a long and interesting history that includes many peoples. The Greeks, the Romans and eventually barbarians passing through the Arabs all controlled the town at different times. During Arabic control, the town prospered and named itself after the Arabic word “salem,” which means “peace, health, or safe town.”
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