Although the island of Mozia in the midst of the Stagnone Lagoon is tiny, it was once the fiefdom of the prosperous Phoenician colony of Motya. Its strategic location meant it was a much sought-after outpost by both the Carthaginians and the Syracusans, who destroyed it; it then fell into neglect until it was rediscovered in the early 20C. Today, this small, flat, almost circular island, windswept and burnt by the sun, has kept the memory of its ancient city very much alive.