Trapani
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What is nearby the Apartment in Trapani?
Erice
Take the scenic Cable car direct from Trapani up to the mountain top historic town of Erice. During the summer months the cable car runs until the very late evening. Erice is a lovely place to go to for a special meal in the evening and to stroll around with a cool sea breeze and stunning views of the coastline.
Erice is Sicily's only town that has been inhabited since pre-history,
the town sits 800 metres above sea level on a small peak overlooking Trapani.
The cathedral, constructed in the 14th Century, has a magnificent
front portal and a separate Gothic style bell tower which stands a few metres from
the entrance. This building also doubles as a concert hall for the town's annual
traditional popular music festival. Other annual festivals and events include the special religious procession at
Easter, and the Festival of Medieval and Renaissance Music in August.
Erice with its cobbled streets, arched passageways, narrow laneways, cool breezes, stunning views, and lovely sunsets over the Western Mediterranean, make it a must for any visitor to Sicily.
Egadi Islands
The Ferry and Hydrofoil operate 7 days a week, running direct ferries to the Egadi Islands. The port is a short stroll from the apartment and the ferry ride takes 20 mins for the islands. Making the islands an easy & really special day trip.
There are organised tours of the Islands by boat. Which you can join at the port or from the Sailing club at the Marina.
These Islands have been a Marine Nature Reserve since 1991. The historical and archeological importance of the Archipelago of the Egadi Islands dates back to the famous battle of the Egadio Islands in 241 B.C. Numerous remains have been found here, the most important of which has to be the Nave Punica, now at Baglio Anselmi, Marsala.
The archipelago is comprised of 3 islands and 2 islets. Favignana is the largest island, famous for tuna fishing. Favignana's residential area is built on Cala Principale, between Punta S. Nicola and Punta Faraglione. Levanzo, the smallest island, is famous for the Grotta del Genovese. Its inhabited area is Cala Dogana. Marittimo is the oldest, and most mountainous of the Egadi islands, as well as the most distant; its urban center can be found on Punta San Simeone.
Finally, there are the two islets: Formica, where one can find the traces of an abandoned tuna fishery, transformed in to a rehabilitation center; and Maraone, to the West of Formica, which is inhabited exclusively by sea gulls.
Segesta
Segesta lies just 25km from Trapani. The setting of the ancient Temple at Segesta,
perched on a hill is simply beautiful: totally
unspoilt rolling green countryside and views that stretch right down to the sea.
The temple of Segesta is, in its construction, style, and size, a standard product for the late 5th century BC, but its unfinished state and its remarkable state of conservation makes it one of the most important surviving Hellenic temples in the world.
The Doric Temple, which is roughly 75km from Palermo, was not actually built by the Greeks, as may have been suggested rather imprudently in the opening paragraph, but by the Elymians, an indigenous population of Sicily who also founded Erice. It is true, however, that Greek colonists probably contributed to the building of the Temple, which took place between 420 and 430 BC. It has 36 Doric columns, and is 61 metres long and 26 metres wide.
Via del Sale - Trapani to Marsala
The coast from Marsala to Trapani is characterized by one of the landscapes most peculiar to Sicily: the saltworks. Large mirrors of saltwater form an irregular and multicolored chessboard, where for centuries the precious substance has been produced. In some areas you can see a windmill, which at one time served to pump water and grind the salt.
Among the most beautiful of these are the Saltworks of Trapani and Paceco, which are protected by the World Wildlife Federation for their role as home to around 170 different bird species, including flamingos, storks, cranes, and herons.
The saltworks visitor center can be found at Nubia, just below Trapani on the coastal road SP 21. In a 300-year old salt house, the Museum of Salt was instituted, illustrating the phases of salt production and some of the equipment utilized for its extraction and collection. By night, nature offers most beautiful sunsets in Sicily, with colors that shift from red to orange to pink, encircling the ancient mills and the silhouettes of the Egadi Islands.
Isola di Mozia
This tiny island just off the coast north of Marsala was once the home of the Phoenician colony that was expelled in 379 BC and founded Lilibeo (Marsala). The island's role in the events of Sicily's early Phoenician period (before 600 BC) far transcended its diminutive size. The Phoenicians were a seafaring Semitic people from what is now Syria and Lebanon; they founded Carthage and other Mediterranean coastal communities, such as Motia. Therefore, it was only natural that Motia, and then Lilibeo, should side with Carthage in the wars against the Greeks. Ironically, the Greeks themselves owed much, including a great deal of their language and alphabet, to the early Phoenicians, despite their later political differences with the Carthaginians.
The island of Mozia, which is owned and operated by a foundation established by the winemaking Whitaker family (who built the Anglican Church and Villa Malfitana in Palermo), has a remarkable museum and the ruins of an equally remarkable civilization, complete with a harbor and cemetery. Some of the finds on display in the museum have a distinctly Egyptian influence, while others seem almost Hellenic. Though certain of these items were brought to Motia from Asia Minor, others were made locally, based on "foreign" influences. Mozia and its unique museum provide the visitor with a rare unspoiled glimpse into Sicily's Phoenician past.
Marsala
Marsala, 30 kilometers south of Trapani, is a gorgeous city of art,
rich in Punic, Roman, Norman, Arab, and Spanish heritage. It was founded by the
Carthaginians at the beginning of the 4th century B.C. under the name of Lilibeo,
but during medieval times, it was conquered by the Arabs,
who called it Mars-el-Allah (port of God).
The Normans conquered Marsala in 1072, erecting a castle and
constructing churches and convents.
The name of the city is connected to the famous wine that has been produced here since the end of the 8th century.
An enterprising Englishman, John Woodhouse, established the first wine factory that produced marsala, which went on to have such a large part in the economic fortunes of the city. San Vito lo Capo
Palermo An easy day trip with a regular train service direct from Trapani centre to Palermo centre.
Avoid the hassle of parking and getting in and out of Palermo by car. Trapani's train station is 10mins walk from the apartment.
and is the very best way to explore Palermo hassle free.
see www.treinitalia.it for timetables etc. Wines and Wine Trails There are many excellent Sicilian wines - both red and
white -, which are typically full of flavour and body. While most of
the large vineyards are in the western side of the island there are many
small vineyards and even more small producers on the eastern side. Most
small producers will grow some local grapes varieties, and also purchase
grapes from the western part of the island. The result is a wide variety
of different wines that for the best part are not DOC but are great tasting
wines. Many are organic. For more information on Sicilian wines see www.vitevino.com For more information on Sicily see the following sites
: http://www.enit.it/navgraficacomuni.asp?LANG=UK®ione=SICILIA
San Vito lo Capo, white sandy beach stretch for miles & crystal clear waters.
Sant Vito is a charming coastal town in the Trapani area with a great beach.
Extending below Mount Cofano, a high pointed limestone cliff visible from a distance, San Vito is near the Zingaro Nature Reserve and the hamlet of Scopello, where some scenes of the movie Ocean's Twelve were filmed in 2004. San Vito is known for its annual couscous festival.
http://www.sicily.infcom.it/
http://sicilia.indettaglio.it/eng/