The west of Sicily is full of gems, both well known and less so. We’ve already written about Palermo and Trapani; it’s time to introduce you to Erice. Where is it? What can you see there? That and more today.
Erice of today stands on the site of ancient Erice – Eryx. The name came from a legendary king of the city, meaning Eryx, who was to be the son of Poseidon or Aphrodite. We don’t know much about the really ancient history of Eryx – somewhere around 400 BC, the people of Eryx were still considered barbarians, so they haven’t yet been hellenized. Soon after the events of the First Punic War, where records suggest that Eryx was used as a military base for General Hamilcar of the Carthaginians, Eryx largely disappears from history. Greek geographers write of it as if it was a wasteland.
We hear of it again in 831, though, as Aghlabids (Arab dynasty of the 9th century AD) conquered Eryx and renamed it to Mountain of Hamid (Cebel Hamid). It changed hands again in the 12th century, being taken under the Norman wing and renamed to Monte San Giuliano – if you’ve read anything about Sicily from before the 20th century, this was a name you could’ve encountered there.
Today, it’s a largely popular tourist town and a relatively small town in and of itself – it has about 27,000 permanent residents, over an area of 18 square miles. The town is also located at about 750 metres above sea level.
How to get to Erice?
The trip to Erice is itself an attraction for many – one way to get there is by using the FuniErice service, a cableway which takes you from Trapani to Erice. As you can imagine, you get some incredible views during the ride itself. Be warned that the service is annually closed from 08.01 to 21.03 due to maintenance and low activity during the winter period.
You can also get to Erice by car if you’re a brave soul not afraid of some narrow serpentines leading up the mountains.
Now that you’re in the town itself, what can you see here?
Porta Trapani
This is the main gate leading into the old town, a great starting point for your journey across the centre. It used to be the main entry to the town – though it’s no longer and you can obviously enter the centre from other directions too, it’s great to start the trip off right.
Duomo di Erice
The most important church in Erice and a beautiful historical site. It’s largely a Gothic church – works on it began at the beginning of the 14th century. To the right of the facade of the church, you have a quadrangular bell tower. You can even climb it! It’s not a very demanding climb (about 110 steps), so we very much recommend it. The views from there are magnificent: you can see the Monte Cofano Mountains, the San Vito Lo Capo peninsula, Trapani, Marsala, the Egadi and more.
Borgo Storico Erice
This is the true historic part of Erice. It’s a place full of tiny narrow streets and buildings hundreds years old. You can find restaurants in this part too if you get hungry. When you’ll be walking down the Vittorio Emanuele street, you simply must stop at the Pasticceria Maria Grammatico for the local speciality: the warm “Genovese” muffins. It’s located at Via Vittorio Emanuele 14. I mean, just look at them.
Castello di Venere – Venus Castle
A 12th century Norman castle suspended on the south-eastern shore of Erice. Though it sounds like a very bad idea, a section of the walls basically hang over the precipice. It’s quite an experience to stand on it yourself, especially if you’re afraid of heights.
Giardini del Balio
Giardini del Balio is the local park of Erice, and a great spot to rest after exploring the sometimes claustrophobically narrow streets of Erice. It’s also a great spot for taking pics, as it’s simply a beautiful place.
Erice, though quite small, is a town that will surely stick in your mind. Sure, it’s not a place with literal dozens of tourist attractions to see – that’s not the point of Erice. Rather, it’s a place you visit for the feeling like it’s truly a place stuck in time. You feel it pretty much everywhere you venture here. We’d also recommend getting a map, as it’s very easy to get lost here and signal can sometimes be a rare treat.
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