Sicily: Chapter 8 - Trapani & Erice

 

Buonasera!

Following our awe-inspiring visit to Agrigento and the Valle dei Templi, we had a travel day to reach our next destination.  The route we took meandered northwest along the coast, first to Marsala, the westernmost part of Sicily and then on to our final destination, Trapani.

Marsala is known for its wine of the same name and is famous as the landing spot for Giuseppe Garibaldi and his army of 1000 volunteers as they began their conquest of Sicily in 1860.

 Another feature of the area between Marsala and Trapani is the Stagnone Lagoon Natural Reserve – a marine area with salt pans.  What's a "salt pan" you say?  Here's a definition provided by ChatGPT:

"Salt pans, also known as salt flats or salt plains, are flat expanses of land, often found in arid regions, covered with salt and other minerals.  They are a natural source of salt, which has been harvested for centuries."

Here's an artistic photo of the salt pans, taken from "VisitSicily" promotional literature. 

These Sicililan salt pans are particularly old as they have been providing natural salt for over 2700 years. It has been used over the centuries as a way to preserve food. 

The pic below includes the windmill and factory, where the salt is broken down and processed.

From Marsala, we drove north to the charming city of Trapani.  We found a parking spot just outside our AirB&B - what luck! - and decided that we should have a stroll to stretch our legs.  

        Here are a pair of photos from the very peaceful Town Hall Park.

The statue is in honour of Piersanti Matarella, who was the President of the Regional Government of Sicily.  The commemorative notes state that he was assassinated by the Mafia.  It is one of the few open references to the Mafia that we noticed while in Sicily.

Street scene in Trapani

Love and relaxation along the Trapani Lungomare!

The Torre (tower) di Ligny (below) is a symbol of the city.  It was built during Spanish rule (15th-18th centuries) to defend against invaders.

After our walk, we were famished.  So we took the advice of our AirBnB hostess to try her favourite pizzeria - Pizza Gourmet.  Here's Jenn with more new friends!

The next day was dedicated to visiting Erice, dubbed as "one of the most beautiful villages in all of Italy". It was founded on the mountain top (750 metres high) in the 5th century BCE, well before the Greeks arrived in Sicily.  It is noted for its spectacular vistas, castles, churches and restaurants.  

In planning for this part of our trip, we were advised to take the cable car from Trapani all the way up to the top of the mountain so that we didn't have to drive.  Unfortunately, when we got to the station, we found that the cable car had not yet opened for the season.  

Uh-oh...what now?  Yep, you guessed it.  WE DROVE!! I still hyperventilate just thinking about it.  I think it was worse than the Amalfi Coast -  that experience was just sitting on a bus!!!  But this was me, actually driving, being responsible for the lives of three  people, on roads that had little to-no-guard-rails.  

I WILL NEVER DRIVE LIKE THAT AGAIN!!!!!  

Deep breaths, deep breaths, deep breaths....

...okay, okay, okay - I think I'm good to continue

The first of these two pictures is the Gate into Erice.  The second is the street running from the main Gate.  The picture does not capture how steep it is!

This is the proprietor of the Caffe San Giuliano.  He is a real gentleman and very proud of his caffe.  As you can see, it has many local food products to purchase.

This is the dolci cabinet at Caffe San Giuliano. The most famous pastries from Erice are called the "genovesi" - filled with custard, dusted with icing sugar and eaten warm!

Due cappuccini e due dolci genovesi.  Caffe di San Giuliano

Peaceful street in Erice

Great pic of Jenn contributing to a sensational view of northwest Sicily from 750 meters up!

This sign appears at the site pictured with Jenn above.  The sign was placed there by the city of Erice and it says "Mandatory Kissing"

This is Castello di Venere.  It was built by the Normans in the 12th century right over the place where the temple of Venus Erycina once stood.  She was a god that had been worshipped since 1200 BCE by the people living in this area.

Here you can see the Torretta Pepoli, located beneath the walls of Castello di Venere.  It was built in 1870 as a retreat for Count Agostino Pepoli.

Another view of Castello di Venere, from the other side.  

Susanna e Vincenzo in Erice - a welcome pause to relax and enjoy the views!

Chiesa Madre - Duomo di Erice and its bell tower.  

Built in 1314 of sculpted stone and Carrera marble.

        Chiesa Madre...

...and its interior ceiling

Glorious!

After such a thrilling experience in Erice, we returned to Trapani and made dinner reservations at a lovely restaurant recommended by our hostess - The Cantina Siciliana.  

As you can see in the pics above and below, it is a very traditional Sicilian restaurant, specializing local cuisine and decorated  with "le marionette" - marionettes!

My two favourite people in all the world!

Check out the shelves behind Jenn & Vince - see all of the ceramic faces of "The Princess and the Arab"!  Like we explained in earlier chapters, these are symbols of Sicily and can be found everywhere across the island!

And now for the food!

This was the lovely Etna wine we chose for cena (dinner)

We shared the house special couscous for our primo piatto (appetizer).  Since Sicily is so close to North Africa, it's no surprise that couscous found its way here over the centuries

 We also decided on Veal Marsala as our secondo piatto (main dish).  As the name suggests, it is made with locally made Marsala wine.  Very nice indeed!

On our walk back to our apartment, we spied this beautiful municipal building.  It is very new, but built in traditional style.  Classy, right?

We've come to the end of our chapter on Trapani and Erice.  Next up will be our last chapter of adventures to share with you, as we move on to Palermo.  

So stay tuned, and ciao for now!