Erice
A medieval stone town on a mountaintop 750 meters high, with Venus Castle and stone lanes overlooking the Trapani salt pans, famous for almond pastries.
Erice sits atop Mount San Giuliano behind Trapani. In antiquity it was called Eryx, and Phoenicians and Romans had temples here dedicated to the goddess of love. In the Norman period, Venus Castle was built on the old site. The town's stone lanes, courtyards and churches are well preserved, and on clear days you can see Trapani, the salt pans and the Egadi Islands. The almond biscuits from the Maria Grammatico pastry shop are famous far and wide. Cable cars run up from Trapani. Erice is about 100 km from Palermo and is often combined with Segesta as a day trip.
Opening hours
All day (castle and church about 10:00–18:00)
Nearby sights
- Museo Regionale Agostino Pepoli
- Sanctuary of Maria Santissima Annunziata
- Trapani Old Town (Centro Storico)
- Museo del Sale (Nubia)
- Trapani Cathedral (San Lorenzo)
- Chiesa del Purgatorio & Misteri di Trapani
- Saline di Trapani e Paceco
- Torre di Ligny