12 April 2016
Trapani, Italy: Look Up

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Trapani, on the west coast of Sicily, was the ancient port for the important city of Erice.

It’s an interesting old city, worth exploring.

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But for me, the excitement comes when you look UP . . . or around the bend.

Above Trapani is Erice, on the slopes of Monte San Giuliano.

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Much of Trapani’s economy still depends on the sea.

Fishing and canning are the main local industries, with fishermen using the mattanza technique to catch tuna, which is a rather brutal and non-selective harvest.

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Trapani has some of Europe’s oldest salt marshes, and is still home to some of the windmills once used to drain water from the basins.

Drawing salt from water is a slow process involving a lot of sun and dry summers.

The dehydration technique was known to the ancient Egyptians, and in Sicily dates at least from the time of the Greeks and Romans. The windmills were added in Medieval times.

Sea salt is highly prized in Sicilian cooking.

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Erice is at the western end of Sicily, about 75 miles or 90 minutes from Palermo.

The town is located on top of Mount Erice, at around 2,360 feet or 750 meters above sea level, overlooking the city of Trapani and out to the Aegadian Islands off Sicily’s north-western coast.

The original settlement was named after the Greek hero Eryx, the son of Aphrodite and King Butes of the Elymian people on Sicily.

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Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

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