Trapani
Trapani was founded by the Elymians to serve as the port of the nearby city of Erice (ancient Eryx), which overlooks it from Monte San Giuliano. The city sits on a low-lying promontory jutting out into the Mediterranean Sea.
It was originally named Drepana or Drépanon from the Greek word for "sickle", because of the curving shape of its harbour. Carthage seized control of the city in 260 BC, subsequently making it an important naval base, but ceded it to Rome in 241 BC following the Battle of the Aegates in the First Punic War.
Two ancient legends tell of mythical origins for the city. In the first legend, Trapani stemmed from the sickle which fell from the hands of the goddess Demeter while she was seeking for her daughter Persephone, who had been kidnapped by Hades. The second myth features Saturn, who eviscerated his father Uranus, god of the sky, with a sickle which, falling into the sea, created the city. In ancient times, Saturn was the god-protector of Trapani. Today, Saturn's statue stands in a piazza in the centre of the city.
After the Roman, Vandal, Ostrogoth, Byzantine and (from the 9th century) Arab dominations, Trapani was conquered by the Normans of Roger I in 1077, flourishing under their dominations and having also a role in the Crusades as one of the most important ports in the Mediterranean Sea. In the 17th century, the city decayed due to revolts, plagues, and famines, but in the following century, it grew from 16,000 to 30,000 inhabitants; commerce remained of local importance, while its military position in the Kingdom of Naples remained notable.
The city was badly damaged during World War II, when it was subjected to intense Allied bombardments. It has grown greatly since the end of the war, sprawling out virtually to the foot of Monte San Giuliano. Tourism has grown in recent years due to the city's proximity to popular destinations such as Erice, Segesta, and the Egadi Islands
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The center of city
In Trapani you can enjoy the beautiful baroque city center with good shops and fine (fish) restaurants. The centre of Trapani has the harbour and the fish market at the south. Many impressive cruise ships enter here at the harbour.
Top 10 things to see
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Erice the town of Venus
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The saltpans of Trapani
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The center of Trapani its streets and its buildings
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100 churches
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Basilica-Sanctuary of Maria Santissima Annunziata
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The fish market in Trapani
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Ligny Tower
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Castle of Colombaia
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Lazzaretto
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Bastion of the Impossible
The coast and the Islands
The Egadi Islands (Isole Egadi in Italian, also called Aegadian Islands in English) are three islands off the western coast of Sicily, close to Trapani and Marsala, and conveniently located for Trapani Airport (a Ryanair base). The islands make an attractive holiday destination.
The Egadi Islands aren't much known to non-Italians, and outside the peak Italian holiday period of July-August, tourism isn't too intrusive. There are services for tourists - good places to stay, restaurants, cafes, shops, bike hire and boat trips - but you'll still encounter a very authentic and welcoming local atmosphere. It is really quite remarkable how easily and quickly you find yourself in a different world: pottering past the rickety fish stalls where Favignana's fishermen sell their catch, or sipping wine at a cafe table as a local wedding spills out from the Chiesa Madrice into the wide piazza, where small children play on their bicycles.
You could visit one, or even two, of the islands as a day trip from Trapani, but it would be a pity to rush your visit and miss the chance to sit and relax on the islands as the sun goes down.
Trapani Natura
Riserva naturale dello zingaro (Zingaro Nature reserve) is the first natural reserve that has been set up in Sicily in May 1981. It stretches along about 7 kilometers of unspoilt coastline of the Gulf of Castellammare and its mountain chain which is the setting of little bays and steep cliffs.
The Zingaro has a large variety and abundance of rare and endemic plants it also has a rich fauna. The existence of highly varied ecological niches gives a great diversity which is not easily found in others parts of the island. In the Zingaro at least 39 species of birds that nest and mate, mainly birds of prey, including the peregrine falcon, the common kestrel and the common buzzard. The area has also a rich archaeological past, as in the spectacular Uzzo Grotto there was one of the first prehistoric settlements in Sicily. The reserve has a complex network of paths, shelters, water taps, picnic areas, museums, carpark, and other amenities; there are no roads and it can only be visited on foot.
The Zingaro Nature Reserve does not only include the land, but also the sea and beaches, which stretch along the coast for almost 7 km. They are beautiful and almost all sandy and lapped by the clear blue sea, and can be reached along various, rather steep paths
The Temple Segesta
On a hill just outside the site of the ancient city of Segesta lies an unusually well preserved Doric temple. It is thought to have been built in the 420's BC by an Athenian architect[1] and has six by fourteen columns on a base measuring 21 by 56 meters, on a platform three steps high. Several things suggest that the temple was never actually finished. The columns have not been fluted as they normally would have been in a Doric temple and there are still tabs present in the blocks of the base (used for lifting the blocks into place but then normally removed). It also lacks a cella and was never roofed over. The temple is also unusual for being a Hellenic temple in a city not mainly populated by Greeks. It can also be noted that this temple lacks any painted or sculptured ornamentation, altar, and deity dedication.[2] This temple escaped destruction by the Carthaginians in the late 5th century.
The Temple of Segesta has great significance to Sicilian nationalistic groups.
Nearby Attractions
Riserva naturale integrale Saline di Trapani e Paceco is a nature reserve in the Province of Trapani between the municipalities Marsala, Trapani, and Paceco at the west coast of Sicily. It was founded in 1995 and in the framework of the Ramsar Convention entrusted to WWF Italy. It has an areal of 987 ha and consists of two zones (Zona A and Zona B). Besides a remarkable Mediterranean flora and fauna there is a saline work museum in an old salt mill.
Acropolis of Selinus
View of the Acropolis of Selinus from the eastern hill
The city is beside the sea, between the Modione River (the ancient Selinus) in the west and the Cottone River in the east, on two high areas connected by a saddle. The part of the city to the south, next to the sea, contains the acropolis which is based around two intersecting streets and contains many temples (A, B, C, D, O). The part of the city to the north, further inland, contained housing on the Hippodamian plan contemporary with the acropolis and two necropoleis (Galera-Bagliazzo and Manuzza). Other important remains are found on the high places across the rivers to the east and west of the city. In the east there are three temples (E, F, G) and a necropolis (Buffa) north of the modern village of Marinella. In the west are the most ancient remains of Selinus: the Sanctuary of the Malophoros and the archaic necropolis (Pipio, Manicalunga, Timpone Nero). The two ports of the city were in the mouths of the city's two rivers.
The modern Archaeological park, which covers about 40 hectares can therefore be divided into the following areas:[32]
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The Acropolis at the centre with temples and fortifications
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Gaggera Hill in the West, with the sanctuary of Malophoros
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Mannuzza Hill in the north with ancient housing
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The East Hill in the east, with other temples
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The necropoleis
Address
Via Sicilia, 3
Trapani, TP 91100 - Italy