Description of the attraction
The small town of Erice in the province of Trapani, near the town of the same name, is located high above sea level and is visible from many points of this corner of Sicily. The old center of Erice, built in the Middle Ages, deserves special attention from tourists. In spring, when almost the entire city is shrouded in clouds, here you can feel the exciting atmosphere of the past. But the location of the city at a high altitude also creates certain inconveniences: since this place is ideal for cellular antennas, here and there among the medieval buildings you can see protruding iron bars, somewhat spoiling the mesmerizing landscape.
Erice was founded by the Elimians, an ancient mountain people who also founded Segesta. It was a religious center, originally dedicated to the goddess of fertility, later to the Phoenician goddess Astarte, then to Aphrodite and finally to the Roman Venus. There are several legends about the creation of the city. According to one of them, Eric, the son of Poseidon and Aphrodite, was the founder of Erice: he lost the battle with Hercules, who allowed him to retain sovereignty, but took a promise that then the city would pass into the possession of one of the descendants of Hercules. During the time of the Arabs and Normans, the well-fortified city served as a refuge for the inhabitants of nearby Trapani.
Erice has the shape of a triangle, so it is difficult to get lost in it, but you can wander along the narrow medieval streets. To get to know the city, you can follow the signs - the tour starts from the Chiesa Matrice church, located in the western part of Erice, a few meters from the Norman gate of Porta Trapani, and passes through all the significant buildings. The church itself was built in 1314 - today it is the most impressive building in the city. From there, the road leads to the castles of Castello Pepoli and Castello di Venere - their panorama against the backdrop of steep mountains is breathtaking. Once on the site of Castello di Venere stood the Temple of Venus, which later gave the name to the castle. Also worth noticing are the churches of San Giovanni Battista and Carmine and the Municipal Museum, which houses exhibits dating back to the early Stone Age. And from the Piazza San Giovanni square you can enjoy a magnificent view of the surroundings right down to the sea.
