About riding Lo Stagnone
Lo Stagnone is Marsala's lagoon, between Trapani and Marsala: seven kilometres of shallow, flat water closed off from the sea by Isola Grande, with Mozia in the middle and the windmill salt pans along the shore. The kite schools are all at Birgi Vecchi on the north-east shore, minutes from Trapani airport. The schools speak of some 300 windy days a year; the reason people come is the water: you can stand almost anywhere.
The winds, by name
Tramontana. In summer the Tramontana rules: it arrives from the north punctually in the late morning, the land's heating adds its thermal component in the early afternoon, and it holds until sunset. The schools put that thermal push at 6-10 knots above the average on hot, high-pressure days. The Birgi airport anemometer shows the same clock: near calm overnight, 10-14 knots between noon and 4 pm.
Maestrale. The Maestrale from the north-west is the wind of the spring and autumn fronts, and on those days it can top 30 knots. In summer, under high pressure, it comes as a thermal wind, gustier.
Scirocco. The Scirocco from the south-east is more frequent in the colder months. When it comes it comes decisively, 35-40 knots, warm, and it blows through the night for days. It is very gusty, and gustier still in the northern lagoon, the Birgi end.
Libeccio. The Libeccio from the south-west shows up in spring and autumn. It has none of the summer Tramontana's thermal push.
When to come
The season runs from March to the end of October, its heart May to September, when the thermal Tramontana comes in almost every day. Spring and autumn bring the Maestrale and the Libeccio, winter the Scirocco. The sea outside the lagoon runs from about 15 °C in February to 26 °C in August; the shallow lagoon is colder in winter and warmer in summer.
What to watch
The shallow water is both the draw and the risk: 50 cm to 2 m, a bottom of mud, algae and the odd sea urchin, so booties and no head-first falls. The Scirocco is very gusty. The lagoon is a nature reserve and a Natura 2000 site: ride beyond 200 m from the shore, away from swimmers, nets and fishing installations, and leave the islands and the birds alone. In summer the Birgi shore is full of students.
Getting there
Birgi Vecchi is a few minutes from Trapani-Birgi airport, on the road between Trapani and Marsala; the schools are all there side by side, and Birgi has a railway station too.