You have to see these amazing scenes from Erice and Trapani, Sicily
From our home base in Marsala we headed out the next day to the baroque city of Trapani where we took the gondola up Mount Erice to its ancient namesake town. This was one of the highlights of our whole trip, we were mesmerized by the beauty of a city that looked like a live set from The Game of Thrones. It had the most incredible views from a top the mountain and sweeping vistas looking out over the arid valleys below.
On one side you could see out towards the mountain looming over the beachside town of San Vito Lo Capo, on the other to Trapani spreading out to the sea and the islands of Levanzo, Favignana, Marettimo and Grande, misty blue in the background.
It was similar and enchanting to the incredible views of San Marino but different, with a more Moroccan, Islamic or medieval feel to it.
The historic town is surrounded by stone walls that crown the perimeter of the mountain, topped off by the Castle Venere dominating its jaw dropping views. Spectacular vantage points look over the countryside below and the city of Trapani. The whole area has an exotic aura of mystery, perhaps due to its history of rule by the Elymians, the Greeks, Cathaginians, Romans and Normans that left their footprints throughout the city.
We entered through the Porta Trapani from the cable station and walked along the walls to the right reaching the Castello di Venere. It wasn’t open this particular day so instead we stopped at a café taking in the panoramic views over a spritzer and arancini before heading into the Gardens, the Giardino del Balio.
We wandered through the pathways of flora and fauna, absorbed in the beauty of it all, took some pics at the other vantage points and then headed back into the town. There were some great shops to explore along the cobblestoned pathways flanked by some of the most amazing stone buildings as we made our way to the Piazza Umberto 1.
Heading downhill we aimlessly trekked towards the incredible Spanish neighborhood, its ambiance and stunning scenery had us spellbound. Gothic churches, lush gardens, stone pathways and ancient buildings that must be seen to comprehend.
Leaving the Spanish neighborhood we got a little lost but loved every minute walking through an incredible park that eventually led us back to the gondola and down to Trapani. We were amazed and excited by the incredible morning we had exploring this ancient town in the sky, but the climax was yet to come in the streets of Trapani. We jumped back into our rental car at the base of the cable car and drove towards downtown where we found parking as close to the historical center as possible.
The most amazing part of Trapani was its concentration of incredible baroque churches within the small, walkable, ancient center. We heard over 21 of them could be found within blocks of each other. They were amazing even though we had already seen hundreds throughout our trip but these had their own distinct flavor and style.
We loved Trapani, sitting out on a sea flanked peninsula with so much culture, architecture and ancient wonders it was spellbinding.
Some great shopping and excellent restaurants can be found throughout but it was the beautiful cafes with mouth-watering snacks that tempted us most.
We couldn’t deny ourselves a coffee granita and late day gelato, a great way to top off all our senses at the end of an incredible day.
For more pics; here is a link to the photo gallery of Erice or Trapani
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