Isola delle Femmine, Coastal municipality in northwestern Sicily, Italy
Isola delle Femmine is a coastal municipality in the Province of Palermo in northwestern Sicily, located about 15 kilometers from the capital. The town sits by the sea facing a small uninhabited island that shares its name and remains clearly visible from the mainland shore.
The area housed a tuna processing facility called a tonnara during Norman rule. King William II officially transferred the lands to Monreale Abbey in 1176, anchoring the settlement within medieval Sicilian administration.
The settlement grew from a community of fishermen and seafarers whose descendants still work around the harbor today. Many old houses in the narrow streets near the coast still carry traces of this maritime tradition in their architecture and layout.
The municipality sits at an elevation of about 7 meters above sea level and is easily accessible via the coastal road. Visitors arriving from Palermo follow the shoreline route westward and reach the town after a short drive.
The name of the place evolved from the Latin term insula Euphemii through several linguistic changes. Despite the current form suggesting women, no historical records document a female population or community on the island.
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