Erice is described as one of Italy's most spectacular hillside towns. It's a 45min bus ride from Trapani so we set aside a whole day to explore. Unfortunately our plans were thwarted by the Italian way of doing things when the driver of the first bus of the day decided he wasn't going to go to Erice after all. We decided to persevere and ended up getting another bus about 1hr later. And boy am I glad we did.
This photo is actually one of the street stalls from a small market we visited in Trapani while waiting for the bus. These small trucks are all over Sicily, but I have never seen one covered with garlic & peppers before!
The drive up the hill to Erice was amazing - a full 20min of hairpin bends up the side of a mountain, with views across Trapani & surrounds the whole way.
The first site that greets you when you walk through the gate is the
Chiesa Matrice.
And it's adjacent bell tower.
Most of the buildings in Erice have an entry fee, and we were both feeling pretty churched out, so we decided to just wander around the town rather than go inside.
This was quite a touristy village, but the crowds weren't too bad on the day we visited, so I was able to get a number of shots of the quiet streets.
This Mary was protecting the street below.
Eventually we reached the edge of the town, where we were met with sweeping views over the farmland below. The day was quite cloudy, but apparently on a clear day you can see all the way to Tunisia from up here.
The smaller castle in the foreground is Torretta Pepoli.
And the larger castle is Venus Castle, built on top of an ancient Temple of Venus.
Another view back down the mountain with its winding road.
Close up of Venus castle.
On the other side of the castle are more stunning views - this time over the salt flats of Trapani. You can buy salt from here back in Australia.
Some more views of Venus castle, perched precariously on the side of the mountain. Every time I see an ancient site like this I am blown away by the sheer effort it must have taken to build such massive structures without the benefits of any modern machinery, let alone geological surveys.
Me chilling outside the castle.
The mediaeval streets of Erice were mind-blowing. It reminded me a little of
Carcassonne, in the south of France, which I visited a couple of years ago. However, Erice is smaller and more authentic - it's still possible to get a sense of the local rhythms. Highly recommend it for a day trip.
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