What is Erice known for?

The temple of the goddess of love stood on the castle rock from at least the fifth century BC; the Normans reused its stones. Cold War physics centre founded 1963, hosting international schools in four restored monasteries on top of the rock. The genovesi, mustazzoli and almond pastries of Maria Grammatico, recipes carried on from the cloistered convents that closed in the twentieth century.

Erice is a comune in the province of Trapani, Sicily region of Italy, about 101 kilometers from Palermo.

Sicily · Trapani

Erice

An Elymian mountaintop city at 751 meters above Trapani, with a Norman castle on the site of the temple of Venus Erycina and a Cold War physics centre.

751m

Elevation

101 km / 63 mi

Nearest hub (Palermo)

26,089

Population

Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Borghi più belli d'Italia

Why come

Erice sits at 751 meters on the summit of Monte San Giuliano, directly above Trapani and the salt pans of the Mediterranean coast. The Elymians, the pre-Greek Sicilian people whose language is still undeciphered, founded the city; the Phoenicians worshipped Astarte here, the Greeks Aphrodite, the Romans Venus Erycina. The temple stood on the castle rock from at least the fifth century BC. The Normans built the Castello di Venere on the same ground in the twelfth century, reusing the temple stones; the fortress and the Balio towers still crown the eastern cliff. The historic centre keeps a perfect medieval plan of stone-paved lanes and over sixty churches inside the triangular walls. Since 1963 the Ettore Majorana Foundation has run physics schools and international conferences from four restored monasteries; one of the early hosts was the former residence of the Sicilian viceroy. The view from the Balio reaches Trapani, the Egadi Islands and, on clear days, Tunisia.

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Gallery

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Known for

Castello di Venere
Norman castle of the twelfth century, built on the site of the temple of Venus Erycina, reusing the temple's stone.
Torri del Balio
Three medieval towers on the eastern cliff connected to the castle, with the public gardens of the Balio in between.
Duomo dell'Assunta (Chiesa Matrice)
Mother church built in 1314 by Frederick III of Aragon, with a Gothic portal and a detached campanile that doubled as a watchtower.
Centro storico
Triangular medieval plan inside the Punic-Norman walls, stone-paved lanes, sixty churches and the cobbled patterns called acciottolato.
Fondazione e Centro di Cultura Scientifica Ettore Majorana
International physics centre founded 1963, housed in four restored monasteries including the former residence of the Sicilian viceroy.
Quartiere Spagnolo
Unfinished sixteenth-century barracks on the southern wall, with views of Trapani, the salt pans and the Egadi Islands.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through June and September into November are the right months for the mountaintop. The light is clear, the temperature stays under twenty-five degrees, and the view from the Balio reaches the Egadi Islands and sometimes Tunisia. July and August see fog rolling in off the sea in the morning, then heat in the afternoon when the cloud burns off. December through March is cold and wet at 751 meters, with wind off the cliff that locals call the scirocco di Erice. The Misteri del Venerdì Santo procession runs at Easter, and the festa for the patron Maria Santissima di Custonaci falls in late August, when the icon is carried back to its sanctuary on the plain.