Page 500 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

usually Mon–Sat 8.30am–1.30pm & 4.30–8pm).

Police Questura at Piazza Vittorio Véneto ( 0923 598 111); Carabinieri, Via
Orlandini ( 0923 330 000).

Post office At Piazza Vittorio Véneto, at the bottom of Via Garibaldi. Mon–Fri 8am–
6.30pm, Sat 8.30am–1pm, but Aug Mon–Fri 8am–1.30pm, Sat 8.30am–1pm.

Supermarket Margherita Conad, Corso Italia 35 (Mon–Sat 8am–1.30pm & 5–
8.15pm), is a central supermarket for food.

< Back to Trapani and the west

Erice

Despite being just a brief hop from Trapani and the coast, ERICE couldn’t be further
away in spirit. It’s a walled mountain town – around 750m above sea level –
thoroughly medieval, with its creeping hillside alleys, grey stone buildings and silent
charm, but boasting a truly ancient lineage. Nowadays it’s a centre for scientific

conferences, and you’re likely to see numbers of foreigners with labels on their lapels
among the milling tourists.

Though there are enough cobbled alleys and quiet spots to enable you to avoid the
tour groups, the constant tourist presence in this small town can be wearisome –
especially in August, when the streets are busy until late at night as trippers and
sojourners negotiate the polished cobblestones. Easter is another popular time to visit

Erice, when the Misteri sculptures representing the Stations of the Cross are paraded
through the streets on Good Friday. But the greatest pleasure here is simply to wander
around. You’ll soon get lost in the town’s winding alleys, but the most convoluted of
routes is only going to take a couple of hours, and every aspect is delightful. Square
and solid from the outside, the houses hide pretty courtyards, and while most of the
churches are locked, there’s usually something to admire – a carved door, a cupola or
a belltower. The only modern blots in the town’s otherwise homogeneous aspect are

the pylons that tower above the grey walls. Beyond these, the views from Erice’s
terraces are superb, taking in Trapani, the Egadi Islands and even (allegedly) distant
Cap Bon in Tunisia.