If one wishes to relive the pomp and splendour of medieval days, one has to climb almost so high as the clouds up to Erice, an ancient town of Phoenician origin, where everything has remained as it was. Sometimes called the Assisi of the south of Italy, this fortified city on the top of Monte San Giuliano, looking down over the sea at Trapani, is characterized by a triangular boundary wall that in its southern corner contains the 12th/13th-century castle. This stands in an area where in Roman times there was a temple dedicated to the worship of Venus of Eryx, the goddess of love and fertility. Here, in the Norman period, on the site of the ruined temple, it was decided to build a fortress surrounded by massive walls and protected by a series of more advanced towers, the "Torri del Balio" ("Bailey Towers"), which used to be connected to the castle by means of a drawbridge. The castle's defensive character is still evident today in the machicolation above the main gate, which is embellished with the coat of arms of Charles V of Spain and a fine two-light mullioned window. The belvedere offers superb views all around, over Trapani and the Egadi Islands to the west, the towers to the north, the Pepoli turret below, the Church of San Giovanni, the coast towards Bonagia, Monte Cofano, and - on a clear day - as far as Ustica.

Details of the Norman Castle of Erice

(click on the photos to enlarge)