Erice, a town with two marvellous faces

Hi, I’m Erminia,

full-time mother of a beautiful little girl. Ginevra, my daughter, has inherited my explorer nature and often at the weekend, together with my husband, we visit new places. Travelling and discovering new places recharges us, unites us and contributes to our daily happiness.

That’s why today I want to tell you about one of our favourite weekend trips, to give you, through reading, a few minutes of joy that breaks the monotony. You can always write this place down and go there as soon as you can!

I’m going to tell you about Erice, an ancient city, first Phoenician and then Greek!

Erice is a site of unforgettable beauty, built 751 metres above sea level on the mountain of the same name.

The old town is defended by ramparts and walls, a veritable labyrinth of cobbled streets and passages so narrow that sometimes only one man can pass through. In fact, when you get to Porta Trapani, the official entrance to the old town, you park your car and continue on foot.

The houses are very tightly packed together and have pretty, well-kept inner courtyards, defended and protected from the view of passers-by; a way of protecting the intimacy of family life.

During Roman times, a temple dedicated to the goddess Venus was built, and it remained a landmark for sailors throughout the ages.

The temple later became what we know today as ‘The Castle of Venus’.

The Castle of Venus

Perched on the extreme point of the mountain, a belvedere overlooking the sea and the plain below, stood the temple dedicated to Venus Ericina, a goddess worshipped in antiquity.

In the Norman era, the temple, now in ruins, was rebuilt in the form of a castle, surrounded by powerful walls and protected by its position and the more advanced Balio Towers, once connected to the castle by a drawbridge.

The view sweeps all around offering superb views of Trapani and the Egadi Islands to the south-west and, to the north, of the towers, the Pepoli Tower, the Church of San Giovanni, Mount Cofano, the coast with Bonagia and, if the weather is fine, even the islet of Ustica.

Balio Garden

The beautiful garden surrounds the Castle of Venus and the Balio Towers; the name of the towers and the garden comes from the Norman governor (Baiulo) who had his residence here.

There are beautiful views of Monte Cofano, Trapani, the Egadi Islands and, if the air is particularly clear, as far as Pantelleria and Capo Bon in Tunisia, from which Erice is only 170 km away.

Chiesa Matrice

Near the Porta di Trapani, one of the entrances to the town, the church dates from the 14C and was built with material from the ruins of the Temple of Venus. Its massive form and crenellated crowning make it a kind of church-fortress.

This building is a real mix of styles that have been well combined in an attempt to preserve it over time: the Renaissance façade, a Gothic portico added a century later and the neo-Gothic interior that well preserves a wonderful Renaissance altar.

Bell Tower – Originally a watchtower, it stands alone to the left of the Chiesa Matrice, and is now its bell tower.

Spanish Quarter

From the top of the building that was supposed to house a garrison of Spanish soldiers, begun in the 1600s but never finished, there is a beautiful view of the gulf of Monte Cofano.

Legend has it that on particularly stormy nights the spirit of the captain of the garrison, known as ‘Birrittedda russa’, hovers there, unable to find peace after his violent death at sea.

Erice has two faces: the sunny and luminous face of the hot summer days, when light floods the streets and stupendous views open up over the valley, making it a veritable terrace overlooking the sea; and the face of the winter days when, shrouded in clouds, the town seems to rejoin its mythical roots and gives the traveller the feeling of having arrived in a place outside of time.

The medieval atmosphere, the fresh air, the beautiful pine forests that surround it, the peace and quiet that reigns and the local crafts make it a favourite destination for tourists at any time of year.

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