Termini

Termini stands above a gulf on Sicily's northern coast, on the site of ancient Thermae, named for its hot springs. Founded after the destruction of nearby Himera, the town survived into the Middle Ages and became a royal town under Norman rule. Its harbour gave the fertile interior an outlet to the Tyrrhenian Sea, while the town looked west along the coast towards Palermo.

Grain made Termini an important trading port. Records for 1407–1408 mention vessels from Lipari, Liguria, Mallorca and Catalonia among those loading grain in its roadstead. The harbour's grain-loading facilities strengthened connections with Genoa, Pisa, Venice and other Mediterranean ports. In the sixteenth century its trade reached Atlantic ports as well, carrying the produce of Sicily beyond the inland sea.