Marsala Petrosino, a village formerly part of Marsala, decided to become a self-governing town after a local referendum. The area of Marsala is classified as a seismic zone 2 (medium). In the last 200 years three earthquakes of medium-high intensity were recorded: Marsala has a hot-summer mediterranean climate (Köppen: "Csa"), similar to most coastal towns in Sicily, with hot and dry summers coupled with moderately wet and mild winters. Weather in Marsala is similar to that of nearby Trapani. Summers are generally warm with a record maximum temperature of in August 2017. In the summer, due to how dry it is,
Marsala renamed "Marsa ʿAlī" "ʿAlī's harbour" or maybe, "Marsa ʿāliyy", "Big harbour", for the width of the ancient harbour, placed near Punta d'Alga. Another possible derivation is "Marsa Allāh", "God's harbour". Another theory is that "Marsala" comes from "mare salis", "salt pans by the sea" from the presence of salt pans along the whole northern coast, although mention of this theory cannot be found in contemporary references and the installation of the bigger salt ponds on the group of islands composing the contemporary single island "Isola Lunga" was made just during the 19th century. Since the end of the 11th century,