A Medieval Mountain Top Town - Welcome to Erice!

Road to Erice
© Heather Von Bargen (with permission)

Perched precariously atop Monte San Giuliano (also called Monte Erice), Erice is superficially a wonderfully preserved walled Mediaeval town, towering over west coast of Sicily, just northeast of Trapani at 751 m (2,464 feet).  In reality, it's much older and much more. It was ancient Eryx, a prosperous Elymian and Carthaginian city. Erice has a mythological background – Eryx, the son of Aphrodite and Poseidon was the founder of the town. Like so many Sicilian towns, it passed from one invader to another with the Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Romans, all in turn, conquered the town.  Like all invaders they left architectural and cultural footprints in their wake. The name changed from Eryx, to Erice to Gebel Hamed and Monte San Giuliano but its essential character remained.  For centuries, Erice was one of Sicily’s most important cities until being destroyed during the Punic Wars (264-146 BC). 

It's about a 30 minute drive up to Erice from Trapani. That's the easy part. The road we took, the direct and shortest route (at least according to Matilda our very untrustworthy GPS) is essentially an edge-of-your-seat ascent with hairpin turns and blind corners. Add in the fact that descending vehicles barreled around said hairpin turns like they are participating in the Italian Grand Prix, coupled with impatient Sicilian drivers who will likely attempt to speed by to get around you on blind stretches or maybe even worse tailgate for the full journey makes for a nerve-wracking 20-25 minutes. Turn off the GPS or other direction aids least you enjoy listening to the constant barking of “turn left, turn right” until you reach your destination. Oh and you will have to make the descent at some point.  A big thank you to our intrepid driver Kathy (who knew she could channel Nino Vaccarella). We were lucky and easily found parking in a large parking area next to Porta Trapani.  Having said that Erice can also be reached by a funicular (cable car) from Trapani or you can take the second of the two roads that wind up the side of the mountain.

The Cathedral of the Assumption
 (Erice Cathedral; 14th Century)

Modern Erice is the pedestrianised quintessential tourist village that according to legend, a giant statue of Aphrodite crowned the mountain, visible to passing sailors as a welcome beacon. Considering that Erice can often have its head in the clouds, I suspect Aprophidite was only seen by those ancient seafarers on a clear day when the views of sea-valley-mountain were (and are) no doubt sensational. Erice can be mercurial with frequent unpredictable changes in weather that take you from brilliant sunshine to thick fog in the space of minutes.  The skies were mostly grey in Erice for most of our visit and we lucked out as the rain held off because I am certain that those ancient polished cobblestones would have turned as slippery as an ice rink in a flash.

Erice is a pretty town, in a sombre, grey kind of way and looks like it was carved from the mountain. The ancient gates and fortifications made of grey stone, dating back to circa 6 century BC are said to have been built by the Phoenicians. The narrow, winding cobblestone streets and alleys cut between stone houses, churches, and courtyard walls. The streets are paved with stones polished smooth with the passage of time. The steep alleyways are broken by shallow stone steps cut into them. Wear good footwear, your feet will thank you after a day spent on these hard stones. These characteristics of Erice coupled with the fact that cars are restricted throughout makes it feel like Erice has been frozen in time.   

We were day-trippers from Palermo visiting both Trapani and Erice so our time in Erice was limited. The essentials are the two castles that remain in the city: Pepoli Castle, which dates from Saracen times, and the Venus Castle, dating from the Norman period and built on top of the ancient Temple of Venus.  The principal church is the Chiesa Matrice (aka The Cathedral of the Assumption or Erice Cathedral) dating to 1314, with a portico from 1426 and a detached tower from 1312 (originally an Aragon watch tower). There are so many churches in Erice that they are literally around every corner. 

View of Mount Cofuno from Erice

Bell Tower and the Cathedral of the Assumption (Erice Cathedral; 14th Century)

Bell Tower
The Torre di Federico was built around 1315, as an Aragon watchtower.

Cobblestones Everywhere!

The reason for sensible footwear..

The Climb

More stairs

Chiesa Sant' Alberto Dei Bianchi
One of the many churches in Erice

Chiesa di San Giuliano, Built in 1070 by Normans
Baroque Bell Tower added in 1770

Piazza della Loggia

Castello di Venere or the Castle of Venus is built on the ruins of a temple, initially dedicated to the Greek Goddess Mother of natural fertility, Demeter, later identified as Venus by the Romans. The structure of the castle dates back to the 12th century and was built by the Normans. 

Castello di Venere (Venus Castle)

These medieval towers (Torrie del Balio or Balio Towers) were the outposts of the military fortress. They were connected by a drawbridge to Castello di Venere or the Castle of Venus, which were later replaced by the steps that still exist today. 

Torri del Balio (Balio Towers) Circa 1100

Torri del Balio (Balio Towers) Circa 1100

The rain held off until it was time to leave

A special thank you to Heather Von Bargen for the use of her image from her site.

https://www.curatedimages.com/wordpress/erica-in-italia-drives-in-sicilia/

The following websites provide additional information on Erice, Sicily:

http://www.italyheaven.co.uk/sicily/erice.html

https://life-globe.com/en/erice-sicily/