Page 503 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

Egadi Islands.

Giardini del Balio and around

Below the Castello di Vénere are the Giardini del Balio public gardens, in the middle
of which sits a restored fifteenth-century tower, the Torretta Pépoli. From here, you

can wind towards Piazza Umberto I, perhaps passing clifftop San Giovanni Battista
and its distinctive dome before eventually negotiating the minuscule Piazza San
Domenico, whose church and palace facade are among the town’s most harmonious
sights.

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION: ERICE

By cable car The easiest way to get to Erice fom Trapani is the cable car.

By bus Buses from Trapani (7–8 daily Mon–Sat, 4 daily Sun; 45min) stop outside the
Porta Trapani by the cable-car terminal.

By car From Trapani, it’s a twisty half-hour’s drive. Leave your car in the car park
outside the Porta Trapani – don’t even think of driving into the old town.

Tourist information The helpful tourist office (Mon–Fri 8am–2pm; 0923 869 388,
prolocovalderice.it) is just off Piazza Umberto I on Via Tommaso Guarrasi.

ACCOMMODATION

Staying the night in Erice is relatively expensive, and in summer, or at Easter and
Christmas, you’d do well to book in advance. If you stay in the old town it’s best to
park outside Porta Trapani and carry your luggage up. The other option is to stay in
Valderice, a 20min drive back down the mountain.

Il Carmine Piazza del Carmine 23 0923 869 089 or 0923 194 1532,

ilcarmine.com. Spacious, bright rooms, with separate private bathrooms, in a former
Carmelite convent in the heart of town. €80

Elimo Via Vittorio Emanuele 75 0923 869 377, hotelelimo.it. Luxurious rooms in
a beautifully restored hotel with a small courtyard garden – this is the place to stay if

you feel like treating yourself (though without breaking the bank). €130
San Domenico Via Tommaso Guerrasi 26 0923 860 128, hotel-sandomenico.it.
Engaging family-run hotel in a medieval house in the heart of Erice – with the owners’

children’s toys in evidence in the sitting room along with some robust rustic antiques.
Two sets of connecting rooms, and a triple. Breakfast is in a tiny courtyard. €115

Ulisse Camere Via S. Lucia 2 0923 860 155 or 389 985 6089, sitodiulisse.it.
Nicely furnished rooms dispersed over two buildings, with private bathrooms. The