holidays in trapani and erice

Trapani is located on the west coast of the island and is the most important town along this coastline. The town was built on a narrow promontory that juts out into the sea and quickly became an important port due to its strategic position in relation to the Mediterranean Sea. As with many other of Sicily’s major towns, Trapani’s history is linked to the successive conquering forces, which dominated the island. Originally a Greek settlement dating from the 6th century BC, the town was captured by the Romans in 241 BC, before becoming a Byzantine and then a Saracen settlement. The Arab influence was then replaced by the arrival of the Normans during the 11th century.

Holiday Accommodation in Trapani & Erice

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The main street of the old town is Corso Vittorio Emanuele, which is lined with numerous Baroque buildings including the Cathedral of San Lorenzo. The Cathedral was built in 1635, with several important additions made in the 18th century, including an unusual façade added in 1743. Other important historical buildings include the fort, Castello di Terra, which is in the process of restoration. The Torre di Ligny, which can be found at the very extremity of the promontory, is a fortress built by the Spanish in 1671. It now houses the Museo Trapanese di Preistoria, which exhibits numerous prehistoric artefacts, reflecting Trapani’s position as a rich source of Neolithic and Paleolithic finds. The Museo Pepoli has been created in a former monastery, and exhibits archaeological finds, Sicilian paintings and sculptures from the 12th - 18th centuries and a large collection of local Trapani art, including coral carvings and jewellery.

There are numerous other areas of interest within close proximity to Trapani. The salt marshes are located a few kilometres to the south of the town and form part of the Saline Nature Reserve. At Nubia the Museo delle Saline can be found, detailing the history of the salt extracting industry. Although the importance of this local industry has waned since the 19th century, windmills are still used to supply the energy required to pump seawater from one basin to another. To the northeast of Trapani the small town of Erice is situated on the top of Monte San Giuliano, retaining much of its medieval character, including part of the original city wall, a Norman castle, paved streets and stone houses. The Castello Pepoli was built by the Normans with an additional tower added in the 15th century. It still remains in private ownership so no admission is possible for visitors. The main street in the town is Via Vittorio Emanuele, which stretches from Porta Trapani, one of the main gates to the town, to the piazza Umberto. Other buildings of note within the town include the Chiesa Matrice, a 14th century church and the Museo Cordici, which houses locally found artefacts and a library.

A little over 20 kilometres along the coast, south of Trapani, the island of San Pantaleo is situated a kilometre offshore. The island is famous for the Phoenician city of Mozia, which was founded in the 8th century BC. Excavations of the site were originally carried out by Joseph Whitaker and commenced in 1913. A museum on the island houses the artefacts uncovered to date, which include both Phoenician and Greek ceramics, sculptures and jewellery. There are also the remains of several buildings, which have been excavated, including the House of Mosaics and the Archaic necroplois, which has tombs dating from the 8th century BC.

The ruins of the ancient city of Selinunte are located several hours drive from Trapani, but are well worth a visit. The site dates from the 7th century BC, although many of the temples were constructed in the 5th century BC, and contains a combination of Phoenician and Greek culture. As there are still uncertainties as to some of the dedications, the temples are distinguished by letters. The Acropolis was the centre of public life within the city, and contains many of the temples along with a defensive wall, which was 1200 metres in length. There are five main temples within the walled area of the Acropolis, the largest, known as Temple C, was built in 580 BC and was probably dedicated to either Heracles or Apollo. The second set of temples are located to the east of the Acropolis, comprising of Temple E, probably dedicated to Hera, Temple F and Temple G.

The second significant ancient city within a few hours drive of Trapani is Segesta. The city was the principle city of the Elymians prior to the arrival of the Phoenicians and Greeks. There are two major sites that have been excavated; firstly a Doric Temple with 36 columns, which dates from the 5th century BC. The second site is the Greek Segesta Theatre, which is a semicircular construction built into Monte Barbaro. The views from the Theatre are spectacular, and as is common with many Greek theatres, it is thought that the backdrop formed part of the set.

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