Western Sicily

<< Sicily

Western Sicily is part of the Province of Trapani and features a mostly hilly territory. This area houses various popular seaside resorts and archaeological sites, while several historic cities are located both on the coast and in the interior.

Trapani

Trapani is a city located on a promontory on the western coast of Sicily. Originally founded by the Elymians, one of the indigenous peoples of the island, it was later ruled by the Carthaginians and the Romans. Trapani flourished in the Middle Ages under Arab and Norman rule, and became one of the most important ports in the Mediterranean Sea. The city’s importance later declined, but it is to this day among the main centers of Western Sicily, and features various interesting attractions.

Ligny Tower

The Ligny Tower (Torre di Ligny) is a 17th-century coastal tower located at the end of a narrow strip of land in Trapani. Reworked several times, the tower now serves as a museum, and houses exhibitions on local history and environment.

Salerniana

The Salerniana is a museum of contemporary art in the center of Trapani. Its collection includes several artworks made by Italian artists between the late 20th century and today. The museum was originally located in Erice, but it was moved to Trapani in 2015.

Church of Anime del Purgatorio

The Church of Anime del Purgatorio is a historic church in the center of Trapani. The church was built in Baroque style between the 17th and 18th century, and features an elaborate facade and various artworks. The site is best known for housing twenty life-sized wooden effigies representing the events of the Passion, and used during a day-long procession during the Holy Week.

Trapani Cathedral

The Trapani Cathedral (Duomo di Trapani) is the main church of the city, located in the middle of the old town. The church was erected in the 15th century and was reworked several times, gaining its current appearance in the 18th century. The cathedral is adorned with numerous Baroque and Neoclassical artworks and decorations.

Church of Sant’Agostino

The Church of Sant’Agostino is a medieval church in Trapani, erected in Gothic style between the 12th and 13th century. The facade of the church features a large rose window and a decorated portal, while the 14th-century Fountain of Saturn (Fontana di Saturno) is located just outside. The church also houses a museum of religious art.

Villa Margherita

Villa Margherita is a public park located at the eastern edge of the historic center of Trapani. The park was built in the late 19th century and it is now a popular destination for locals, often used to host events.

Agostino Pepoli Regional Museum

The Agostino Pepoli Regional Museum (Museo Regionale Agostino Pepoli) is an art museum in Trapani, located in the cloister of the historic Basilica of Maria Santissima Annunziata, a large Baroque and Renaissance church housing several artworks. The museum hosts a rich art collection which includes numerous paintings and sculptures by Italian artists, but also a series of traditional coral carvings.

Paceco

Paceco is a town located just south of Trapani. The town developed since the Late Middle Ages, and it is known for the large salterns on the nearby coast.

Salt Museum

On the coast south of Trapani, between this city and Paceco, are a series of large salt marshes and salterns that form a nature reserve. The Salt Museum (Museo del Sale) is located here, in a historic mill among the marshes, and features exhibitions on the traditional production of salt in this area.

Erice

Erice is a town located on top of a mountain east of Trapani. Founded in ancient times, it was an important center under the Carthaginians and the Romans, and remained a relevant stronghold throughout the Middle Ages. The town was known as Monte San Giuliano between 1167 and 1934, when it took the name Erice again. Erice features various historic attractions and it is regarded as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy.

Venus Castle

The Venus Castle (Castello di Venere) is a medieval castle built by the Normans in the 12th century. The castle was built on the site of the ancient Temple of Venus Ericina (Tempio di Venere Ericina), a Roman temple erected on what was previously a site of worship for Elymians, Phoenicians, and Greeks. Adjacent to the castle are the 13th-century towers of the Balio Castle, while nearby is Torretta Pepoli, a 19th-century eclectic building now used as a museum.

Erice Cathedral

The Erice Cathedral (Duomo di Erice) is a large Gothic chruch in Erice, founded in the 14th century over previous structures. The church was later adorned with numerous decorated chapels and various artworks, while most of the interior was restored in Gothic Revival style in the 19th century. The church features an imposing bell tower and also houses a museum of religious art.

Antonio Cordici Municipal Museum

The Antonio Cordici Municipal Museum (Museo Comunale Antonio Cordici) is a museum in Erice divided into different sections. The museum houses collections of archaeological findings, artworks, historic weapons, an exhibition on local culture, and more.

Walls of Erice

Erice is partly surrounded by a series of ancient defensive walls, the oldest of which date from when the town was inhabited by the Elymians and the Phoenicians in the 7th and 6th century BCE. The most well preserved part of these walls is around the city gate known as Porta Spada, which dates from the Late Middle Ages.

Custonaci

Custonaci is a small town located among the hills northeast of Trapani. The town developed in the 20th century, and it is known for its caves.

Scurati Caves

The Scurati Caves (Grotte di Scurati) are a series of caves located among the hills and mountains near Custonaci. The largest of these is the Mangiapane Cave (Grotta Mangiapane), where some archaeological findings dating from the Paleolithic and the Bronze Age have been found.

Marsala

Marsala is the largest city in Western Sicily, and it is located on the coast south of Trapani. This area has been inhabited since ancient times, and once hosted the city of Lilybaeum, founded after the destruction of the nearby Motya. Lilybaeum remained one of the most important ports in the area for centuries, but it was almost abandoned in the Early Middle Ages, until the town was reborn as Marsala under the Arabs. Marsala is now known for the production of wine, and for being the place where Garibaldi landed in 1860, beginning the process of Italian unification.

Marsala Cathedral

The Marsala Cathedral (Duomo di Marsala) is the largest and most important church in Marsala. The church was built by the Normans in the 12th century over a previous religious site, and was later greatly reworked. The church features a Baroque facade, and the interior is adorned with many statues, artworks, and decorations.

Porta Garibaldi

Porta Garibaldi is a large 17th-century city gate in Marsala. The gate is adorned with various decorations, and it was named after Garibaldi, who passed through this gate in 1860 during the wars of Italian unification. Another city gate, known as Porta Nuova, is located at the western edge of the city.

Civic Museum of Marsala

The Civic Museum of Marsala (Museo Civico di Marsala) is a museum of local history and culture in Marsala. The museum houses a collection of archaeological findings, as well as exhibitions on the Italian Risorgimento and local traditions.

Baglio Anselmi Archaeological Museum

The Baglio Anselmi Archaeological Museum (Museo Archeologico Baglio Anselmi) is an archaeological museum in Marsala, located near Cape Boeo (Capo Boeo), the westernmost point of the island of Sicily. The museum houses various archaeological findings unearthed around the city, including a Roman ship from the 3rd century, and the only Carthaginian ship that has survived until today, dating from the 3rd century BCE. Next to the museum is the Archaeological Park of Lilybaeum (Parco Archeologico di Lilibeo), which includes various ruins of the ancient city.

Archaeological Area of Motya

Motya was an ancient Phoenician city located on the small Island of San Pantaleo (Isola di San Pantaleo), in the middle of a lagoon known as Stagnone. The city flourished as a busy port, and became so rich that it could rival Carthage. Motya remained among the most important ports in the Mediterranean Sea for centuries, but later it came under the rule of Carthage until it was destroyed by the Greeks of Syracuse in 398 BCE. The Archaeological Area of Motya (Area Archeologica di Mozia) houses the ruins of the ancient city, which include parts of fortifications, a sanctuary, a necropolis, and other structures. Here is also a museum housing various archaeological findings unearthed in Motya, known as Whitaker Museum (Museo Whitaker).

Mazara del Vallo

Mazara del Vallo is a city located in the Province of Trapani, on the coast southeast of Marsala. The town was founded by the Phoenicians in the 9th century BCE and remained a relevant port for centuries. Mazara del Vallo lived its golden age under the Arabs and the Normans, when it was one of the most important cities in Sicily, but later it declined. The city is now a major fishing center and houses some interesting attractions.

Mazara del Vallo Cathedral

The Mazara del Vallo Cathedral is a medieval church built by the Normans in Mazara del Vallo in the 11th century. The church was later reworked in Renaissance and then Baroque style, and features a decorated facade. Inside, the cathedral is richly adorned with frecoes and other artworks. The church faces the central Piazza della Repubblica, while next to the church is Palazzo del Seminario, which houses the Diocesan Museum (Museo Diocesano), a museum of local religious art.

Dancing Satyr Museum

The Dancing Satyr Museum (Museo del Satiro Danzante) is an archaeological museum in Mazara del Vallo. The museum houses numerous archaeological findings unearthed around the city, but it is best know for the Dancing Satyr (Satiro Danzante), a large Greek statue found in the sea near the city and probably dated between the 4th century BCE and the 2nd century BCE.

Church of San Nicolò Regale

The Church of San Nicolò Regale is a 12th-century church located along a river in Mazara del Vallo. The small church was built in Arab-Norman style, and has a square plan. Inside the church are some artworks and decorations.

Castelvetrano

Castelvetrano is a town located east of Mazara del Vallo in the Province of Trapani. The modern town emerged in the Late Middle Ages, but it is mostly famous today for hosting the ruins of the ancient Greek colony of Selinunte.

✪ Archaeological Park of Selinunte

Founded in the 7th century BCE on the southwestern coast of Sicily, Selinunte was for centuries one of the most flourishing Greek colonies in Magna Graecia. The city reached its peak in the 5th century BCE, but it was destroyed by the Carthaginians in 409 BCE. The town was later repopulated, but it was definitely abandoned in the 3rd century BCE. The Archaeological Park of Selinunte (Parco Archeologico di Selinunte) houses the ruins of the ancient city and occupies a large area near the coast. The ruins include the acropolis as well as various other areas around it. Among the ruins are various large temples built around the 5th century BCE, the best preserved of which is known as Temple E (Tempio E).

Partanna

Partanna is a small town located northeast of Castelvetrano in the Province of Trapani. The area has been inhabited since prehistoric times, but the town developed since the Late Middle Ages around a castle.

Grifeo Castle

The Grifeo Castle is a medieval castle in Partanna, probably erected around the 14th century from a previous Norman fortification. The castle was heavily reworked in the 17th century, and was turned into a noble residence. The castle has various decorated halls and now serves as a museum.

Salemi

Salemi is a town located among the hills of the Province of Trapani. Founded in ancient times, the town developed in the Late Middle Ages, and it preserves many of its medieval characteristics to this day.

Norman Castle of Salemi

The Norman Castle of Salemi is a large medieval castle in the old town of Salemi. The castle was built by the Normans in the 11th century over ancient Greek and Roman fortifications, and was later reworked. The fort has some imposing walls and towers, and it is now a museum.

Gibellina

Gibellina is a small town located in the hills east of Salemi, in the Province of Trapani. A town of ancient origins, it was destroyed by an earthquake in 1968, and was rebuilt nearby.

Cretto di Burri

Also known as: Il Grande Cretto

The Cretto di Burri is a large landscape artwork made between 1984 and 2015 near Gibellina. The artwork, made of cement blocks, was built near the ruins of the city destroyed by an earthquake and represents the shape of the old village.