Marsala Marsala, beginning the process of Italian unification. On 11 May 1943, in the lead-up to the World War II Allied invasion of Sicily, an Allied bombardment of the town permanently damaged its Baroque centre and claimed many victims: "Marsala Wiped Off the Map" titled the New York Times on 13 May 1943. The archaeological area of Marsala has been investigated both through excavations and topographic studies. Lilybaeum, the ancient town, took up a rectangular area on Capo Boeo, a low and rocky promontory sloping gently down towards the sea. The urban layout of the town can be dated back to
Italian cruiser Marsala at a cruising speed of . "Marsala" was armed with a main battery of six L/50 guns mounted singly. She was also equipped with six L/50 guns and two torpedo tubes. The ship was only lightly armored, with a thick deck, and thick plating on her main conning tower. "Marsala"s keel was laid down at the Castellammare shipyard on 15 February 1911, the same day as "Nino Bixio". Work on "Marsala" proceeded slower than on her sister, and she was launched on 24 March 1912, where she was named for the city where Giuseppe Garibaldi launched the Expedition of the