TRAPANI AND SURROUNDINGS
Trapani, Città del Sale and Vela, has improved a lot over the years. It has been able to enhance its artistic and cultural heritage and today is more resplendent than ever. However, its surroundings are so beautiful that it is a shame to "barter" them with a prolonged stay in the city. If you have a day (even half) available visit it, otherwise I suggest you reluctantly to go further. I do not want the trapanesi! Another more accommodating option may be to base in Trapani and move in the day to nearby places, by car or by means, even if the awakening in some places of this enchanted corner of Sicily or expect the decline of the sun in religious silence , they are things that are priceless. But you know, life is made of choices.
Here are some suggestions on what to do around Trapani.
Erice
Perched on a slope 751 meters above sea level, just above the city of Trapani, is the fabulous fortified village of Erice. A small village all in all, in which, however, you would spend whole days to turn between its narrow streets and admire the generous panorama. Here you can breathe a magical atmosphere, despite the many tourists, between its steep streets and stone buildings. Not to mention the fantastic views that it offers both on the city of Trapani (from up here you can see well its shape of sickle) and on the imposing Mount Cofano and the coast.
Do not miss the greedy stop by Maria Grammatico, who for decades churns out dizzying Sicilian sweets (take a cabaret to take home and indulge in a warm Genovese accompanied by a glass of Marsala, the top!).
Erice can be reached from Trapani or by bus (it takes about 40 minutes) or, better still, with the scenic cableway that connects the city to Erice in 10 minutes - the valley station is on the provincial road to Erice near via Capua , not really in the center. The ticket for the cable car is a bit expensive (€ 5.50 for a single ride, € 9 for a return trip) but for sure it is a less common means of transport than the bus. When there is too much wind it is not working, always take a look at the official website or try to call.
Segesta
A half hour drive from Trapani is one of the most scenic archaeological areas of Sicily, Segesta, with its unfinished temple lost in the countryside and the small theater, in a position to say the least sublime: overlooking the Gulf of Castellammare, as if that was the show to see (and what a show!). While access to the temple is immediately close to the ticket office, to get to the theater you have to face a slight climb of about fifteen minutes, always inside the archaeological area. However, there is a paid shuttle service for the lazy ones.
Getting here by car is quite simple, just take the highway from Trapani and exit at the Segesta exit. The car must be left at the parking lot that is one kilometer from the archaeological area, with shuttle service for the same included in the price (€ 5 per vehicle). A bit 'more complicated is to arrive by public transport: there is the possibility of arriving by bus from both Trapani and Palermo, but the timetables are not particularly generous and you may lose a whole day for an hour and a half or two actual visits. Admission to the archaeological area costs € 6 and is open every day from 9 am to 5 pm, 6 pm or 7 pm depending on the time of year.
Egadi Islands
If the first two proposals of this list are feasible in a day from Trapani, Egadi is better to stay a few days, especially in the beautiful stegione, to better enjoy them and enjoy the atmosphere that here you can breathe. Favignana, Levanzo and Marettimo: 3 islands one more beautiful than the other. Less pop of the Aeolian cousins, but still beautiful to madness. Each has its own unique characteristics and for this reason it is nice to have the opportunity to visit all three of them. Favignana is the most accessible and "fashionable", which can be reached in just 20/30 minutes by hydrofoil from Trapani (more than double by ferry, which costs half: € 10 towards € 20). It is also the largest of the archipelago, as well as the most developed from a tourist point of view and offers numerous possibilities for accommodation and entertainment. Despite the larger size of the other two islands, it turns all by bike, even if only in one day (but, as already said, it would be a shame not to stay longer). Then there is Levanzo, the smallest that, in addition to a spectacular sea, offers the opportunity to visit the main prehistoric testimony of the Egadi, the Grotta del Genovese, in which there are graffiti representing scenes from the past not too clear but very interesting . And then there's Marettimo, my favorite. The most remote and wild island, reachable only after one hour and twenty minutes by hydrofoil from the port of Trapani
(which doubles you take the ferry). Quiet and lonely, offers a little 'opportunity to make trekking not particularly challenging (one of them to reach Punta Troia), to swim in almost deserted coves and, above all, to completely disconnect.
The Egadi islands can only be reached by sea, by ferry or hydrofoil. The main port from which the boats depart is precisely that of Trapani.
Scopello
A tiny fraction of Castellammare del Golfo, very touristy in the summer, where there are practically only B & Bs and restaurants. Despite this, it remains a charming corner of Sicily as well as the ideal base for visiting the wonderful Zingaro reserve mentioned in the next point. Scopello well worth a stop definitely to spend some 'time at the fascinating tonnara, one of the most important and ancient in Sicily, now private property (admission € 3.5). Among ramshackle buildings and photogenic rusty anchors, from here you can see at best the Faraglioni of Scopello. Scottish naturalist Gavin Maxwell, who spent a lot of time here during the '50s and set his book Ten Pains of Death, defined this place as the most beautiful ever seen ...
Zingaro Reserve
One of the most beautiful stretches of coast of Sicily and one of the few areas remained almost untouched. This was possible thanks to a class action at the beginning of the 80s that saw peaceful marching for the preservation of this place three thousand people, who opposed the construction of a road to connect directly Scopello and San Vito lo Capo (the two localities in line of air they are very close, but to go from one to the other you have to go around the goose). The Zingaro is the first nature reserve established in Sicily and offers the opportunity to make wonderful walks (when I write only the coastal path is passable) in an idyllic setting: coves where the sea is so turquoise that obliges the stop and a nature lush and fragrant. The Gulf of Castellammare is omnipresent in the background, as are the mountains behind it that protect this wonderful corner of the world.
The reserve can be accessed both from Scopello and from San Vito lo Capo. In this second case, however, from the city center you have to travel 11 km along a road as beautiful as it is tortuous and there are no public transport or services (necessarily need a means of transport or time and the desire to get all the way on foot ). From Scopello to the entrance of the reserve are only a couple of kilometers away.
7 kilometers divide the two entrances of the reserve along the coastal path and, on paper, the estimated travel time is two hours. Calculate however much more time because surely you will do more than a stop in the coves to swim (who resists?) Or to visit the small but interesting museums that are located along the way
The reserve is open every day from 7 to 19:30 (but during certain times of the year the hours may be a bit 'different, check on the site) and the admission ticket costs € 5. In summer it is very crowded, better to go there in spring or autumn.
NB within the reserve there are no refreshment points: bring something to eat and above all to drink.
San Vito lo Capo
At the northern end of this part of Sicily is San Vito lo Capo, a town that until quite too many years ago was rather quiet even in high season. Then someone discovered it and spread the word: the town was invaded by tourism that partly transformed it but did not deface it as it happened elsewhere. Despite being a bit 'inconvenient to reach, today's tourists are not discouraged and arrive here, where Sicily ends. The Cous Cous Fest in San Vito, held every year around the end of September, has become a world-wide event. Its long white sandy beach, set in a picturesque natural setting, is literally storming in the summer months. The tourist offer has increased considerably and the streets of the center are a succession of restaurants, ice cream shops and souvenir shops.
Despite this, San Vito lo Capo remains a very beautiful place that is worth visiting, even if only in passing, using it as a base to visit the Zingaro Reserve. In addition to the things already mentioned above in a rather messy (the white sand beach, the cous cous), in San Vito lo Capo there is an abandoned tonnara to see, the lighthouse (with a nice walk to reach it) and the beautiful beach of Bue Marino in the hamlet of Macari. Waiting here for the sunset, with the shape of Mount Hood that rises from the sea, is a unique experience (do yourself a vague idea watching this short video). Finally, do not you want to taste the cold heat? It is a dessert made with coffee ice cream, cream, ruhm pandispagna and hot chocolate. A light little thing, in short
Monte Cofano Nature Reserve
The imposing promontory that rises from the sea between Trapani and San Vito is Mount Cofano, a hill not even 700 meters high (659 to be precise) but, in a seafaring context like this, it seems the Everest. The whole area that gravitates around here has been declared a nature reserve and its historical and naturalistic interest should not be underestimated. You can make numerous and beautiful excursions within the area of various difficulties but always enjoying a virtually uncontaminated nature within a fabulous setting. For example, you can climb up to the top of the Cofano or maintain a lower profile, and do all the circumnavigation in a flat walk of about 2 hours from the east entrance of Castelluzzo up to the west entrance of Cornino. The hours double if you return to the starting point. A magical place, where you will want to come back. Not to mention the sunsets that gives ...
Mangiapane cave
The area of Mount Cofano is dotted with numerous caves, mainly in the hamlet of Scurati (Custonaci) which, besides being of great geological interest, is also very characteristic. These are the karstic phenomena that led to the creation of these caves, many of which have been used in the past as a shelter from our ancestors (as evidence of this are the numerous findings found in them). And I'm not just talking about prehistory, but also about times a bit more recent: just think that during the Second World War the caves hosted the displaced. The largest cave (70 meters high and 50 deep) and even more interesting in the area is the Groppa Mangiapane, which takes its name from the family that lived there until the mid-1900s (!!!). It is a small village today uninhabited but made open-air museum. The first buildings are built right inside the cave but after the expansion of the community, new houses, but also shops and stalls for animals, are built in the immediate vicinity. So, for quite a few years, a small community has lived undisturbed in this world apart from the sea. Among the cobbled streets of the village during the Christmas period there is a charming living nativity scene that gives life to the Grotta Mangiapane.
The cave can be visited from April to 31 October, every day from 10 to 19. The ticket price is 3 €.
The cellars of Marsala
Tasting of Marsala at the Florio cellars in MarsalaAdding some alcohol to the local wine, this can travel for long periods without ruining. And so it was that the Marsala was born, by the hand of a farsighted English merchant, John Woodhouse, who saw the potential in an unknown time. Actually the story is a little more articulated than I have summarized, but I do not want to take away the pleasure of the discovery by taking part in a guided tour of one of the cellars where this fortified or fortified wine is produced (I I made it at the Florio plant, but it is also possible at Cantine Pellegrino or Marco de Bartoli), which inevitably culminates with a rich tasting. The price of the visits varies depending on the cellar, approximately it is about 10/15 € per person. A fascinating journey to discover this wine, which I strongly suggest you do, and not only for all the Marsala that offer you at the end! You can not visit the trapanese without paying homage to its most famous wine.
Since you are in the city, reachable in 30/40 minutes by train from Trapani, take a look at its pretty baroque center and do not forget a walk along the promenade!
The islands of the Stagnone and the salt marshes
It is right to tell you right away that in the lagoon of the Stagnone, with its islets and salt pans, there have been a long time ago, practically in the Jurassic, so I am not able to give you very updated practical information. But it was bad to make a list of 9 points and, moreover, it would have been inconceivable to talk about what to see around Trapani without including this attraction. If you are fasting practical information, and absolutely without even a picture to show you.
The ancient Phoenician city of Mozia is the main attraction of the area. It is located on the tiny island of San Pantaleo, just in front of Marsala (it can be reached in 10 minutes by ferry). The amount of history and culture that has passed through these parts is inversely proportional to the small size of the island: you can easily walk it all on foot, but give it some time because it's worth it. The obligatory stop to do is the one at the Whitaker Museum to admire, among other things, the statue of Giovinetto di Mozia discovered only in recent years. The young man in question, you do not know exactly who he was (a Punic magistrate? A god? A young man driving a chariot?)
Another thing not to be missed in the area is the visit to the salt pans, where you can do different types of experiences (you can learn more here), including experiencing total relaxation in a spectacular natural setting! Needless to say that the show is even more beautiful at sunset. I still remember with a lot of affection a curious person who gravitated (and I believe still gravitates) in the saline area: the self-proclaimed poet engraver Peppe Genna, an energetic gentleman who goes about 80 years and who goes to the salt pans every day to sell his poems engraved on stone and other local souvenirs. And to give big smiles to make long speeches with all those who pass by.