Chimica Arenella

The plant known as "Chimica Arenella" is a part of the recent past of this city. In this factory, built in the late 1800s on the western side of the Gulf of Palermo, they used to produce citric acid by extracting it from citrus fruits, for which Sicily was always among of the major producers in the Mediterranean area. The factory has been operating until the fifties, when a more economical production method, allowing the synthesis of citric acid by chemical processes, has been discovered. In this place, now completely abandoned, human traces of those who have lived and worked here are still visible. Meanwhile, the nature, little by little, is making his way through the crevices.