Today we visit the ancient town of Erice on Monte San Giuliano. We decided to take the local bus all the way up to the town and use the cable car and then local bus to return to TrapaniThe views over the coastline from the winding road to Erice were outstandingOnce we arrived at Erice we entered the ancient medieval town by Porta TrapaniPorta Trapani one of the three ancient entrance gates to the town, date back to the 1200’sWell preserved neatly patterned cobblestone streets weave through the ancient townChiesa Madre with it’s austere facade was built in 1314The beautiful interior of the church was drastically restored in 1865Standing adjacent to Chiesa Madre, King Frederick’s Tower was rebuilt by Frederick 111 of Aragon in the 13th CenturyThe bell tower has 109 stairs to the top !!Originally the tower was built as a lookout in ancient times during the Punic wars (264-146 BC)As we left the top of the tower the bells began to ring!!!Corso Vittorio Emmanuele is the main street of Erice which begins at Porta Trapani and goes uphillThe Corso has many cafes and tempting pasty shops such as the well known ‘La Pasticceria di Maria Grammatico’We stop for coffee and a light lunch at ‘Cafe Maria’‘Cafe Maria’ has an upstairs terrace with panoramic viewsLocal wines and local delicacies on offer for lunch todayIt is said there are around 60 churches in Erice – hard to believe though!From the castle there are amazing views overlooking Monte Cofano and the town of Custonaci
Castello di Venere (the Castle of Venus) was constructed by the Normans in the 12th Century on the site of the Temple of VenusThe entrance to the Castle of VenusThe Palazzina Pepoli, converted into a villa in the 19th century sits below the ancient Castle of VenusThe magnificent view from the castle
The castle was used as a watchtower and a prison in ancient timesStunning views from the castleAnother 2 statues, one of St Alberto from 1439 and the other from 1947St Alberto’s Church was founded in 1371The beautiful interior of the church with it’s white marble and inlaid floorWe visit the Cordici Museum in EriceAncient pottery and artefacts are on display at the newly renovated museumFrom the necropolis of Erice, a small marble head of Aphrodite from the 5th Century BC is displayedSicily is famous for it’s ceramics and this shop in Erice had some wonderful pieces on displayOn our return to Trapani we took the cable car to the bottom of the hillWonderful views over Trapani and the Egadi Islands can also be seen from the cable carWe pass by some lovely homes on the way down the mountain
The owners and staff at ‘Wayel’ in Trapani were very friendly and helpful with our new bike purchases which arrived for collection late afternoonRic very happy with his new bikeLocal young men set out from the marina for some late fishingOnce again a full moon !!
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