Former Ice Factory, Trapani
The Former Ice Factory is a derelict industrial and military building in the historic centre of Trapani, Sicily. Located along the northern seafront of the city, it occupies a section of the Mura di Tramontana between the Bastione Conca and the Bastione Sant’Anna. The building stands in the historic Casalicchio quarter, a waterfront district traditionally associated with port activities, close to the church of Santa Lucia. It is now abandoned, though recognised as a protected historic structure within the city’s old town.
History
The stretch of the Mura di Tramontana on which the building stands forms part of the 16th-century reconstruction of Trapani’s fortifications. In 1523 the viceroy Ettore Pignatelli commissioned the engineer Pietro Antonio Tomasello to redesign the city’s defensive circuit, replacing the medieval walls with a system of angular bastions, earthworks and seaward artillery platforms. The northern waterfront, later known as the Mura di Tramontana, combined defensive functions with port activity, forming a continuous line of bastions, quays, salt warehouses and fishermen’s houses along the edge of the historic centre.The building itself originated as the gunpowder magazine of the Bastione Conca. A technical report on the former Verdinois Barracks identifies the structure as the "ex fabbrica del ghiaccio ", confirming the continuity between the 17th-century polveriera and the later industrial structure on the Mura di Tramontana.
During the 19th century the building was adapted for industrial use as an ice factory, reflecting the growth of Trapani’s port and fishing activities. A local chronological history records the establishment of an ice factory in 1868, and later planning documents continue to refer to the former powder magazine as the "ex fabbrica del ghiaccio". At the time, ice production relied on early mechanical refrigeration systems rather than electrical power.
By the late 19th and early 20th centuries the building had been incorporated into the Verdinois Barracks, a group of military structures occupying parts of the northern city walls. The information memorandum notes that the complex, initially centred on the polveriera, subsequently developed into a caserma for the Italian army and remained in military use until its decommissioning in 1947. After this date the buildings passed out of active government use and gradually fell into disrepair.
Conservation
The former ice factory is today in a derelict condition, with only the perimeter walls and fragments of internal arches surviving along the Mura di Tramontana. The Demanio report describes the state of conservation of the Verdinois complex as "pessimo", noting that little remains of the roof or interior structure beyond the surviving masonry shell. The building is included within Trapani’s historic centre under the municipal plan and is subject to cultural-heritage protection as a structure of architectural and historical interest.During the early 21st century the site has been repeatedly highlighted in proposals for the restoration and reuse of Trapani’s northern coastal fortifications. A local heritage pamphlet lists both the Bastione Conca and the ice factory among the monuments considered at risk and in need of safeguarding, while a civic cultural programme proposes its restoration and reuse for cultural or visitor-related functions. As of 2025 no restoration project has been implemented, but the building continues to feature in planning documents as a potential candidate for future rehabilitation.