Erice
Information & Tips about Erice:
Erice, a Sicilian town in the province of Trapani, lies on the homonym mount at 750 meters above the sea level. Known as Monte San Giuliano until the end of the World War II, the town was renamed with its current name after the mythological figure killed by Hercules.
If all its hamlets are considered, the municipal territory of Erice has about 29.000 inhabitants; indeed, only three hundreds people live in the centre of Erice, that is the oldest part of the Sicilian town. However, the population rises considerably in Summer, with an increase of almost ten times: in fact, Erice is a coveted destination and tourists choose to spend here their holidays because of its nature, art and good food.
The town is located in a privileged position offering wonderful panoramas: on sunny days, when the sky is particularly clear, you can see in the distance the top of the volcano Etna against the horizon. It's very pleasant to walk along the narrow, winding alleys of the town that climb up the mount; houses are all made of stone and often have small internal courtyards. Erice is surrounded by the old walls as imposing as the wonderful Norman Castle built on the ruins of the famous Temple of Venus; inside of it there are still many frescoes and some original furnishings of the Norman Age.
The master craftsmen of the town are expert in the art of ceramics and they are renowned all over the world for that; for those who want to taste the specialties of local food, we recommend to go to one of the several restaurants where they can eat "mostaccioli" and "Genovese alla crema", which are typical cakes.
Image Erice
