Page 504 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

most evocative are grouped around a tranquil central courtyard. €65

EATING AND DRINKING

Though restaurant prices are a good bit higher in Erice than elsewhere in the region,
you can still eat out fairly reasonably if you stick to the set-price menus. Bring a picnic

and you can sit in the shady Giardini del Balio, or there’s a panineria on Via Vittorio
Emanuele.

Monte San Giuliano Vicolo San Rocco 7 0923 869 595. Entering this backstreet
restaurant is like visiting a castle, through a stone archway and up steps. There’s a sort
of courtyard too, where tables are spread out amid plants with seaward views. Try the
ravioli védova allegra (“happy widow”), with ricotta and squid ink. First courses are

€8–10, mains are €10–18. Tues–Sun lunch & dinner; closed three weeks in Nov &
Jan.

Pasticceria di Maria Grammatico Via Vittorio Emanuele 14 (no phone). Famous
speciality cake shop and café selling marzipan fruits, amaretti and the like, a popular
tourist stop. Maria Grammatico learned her trade as a girl in a convent, and has co-
written a recipe book with writer Mary Taylor Simeti. You can admire the view from

a minuscule balcony, and there’s a more spacious garden with tables. Open daily in
summer; closed Tues in winter.

La Pentolaccia Via G.F. Guarnotti 17 0923 869 099. Atmospherically housed in an
old monastery, this moderately priced place serves excellent home-made pasta and
couscous. Try the ravioli stuffed with cernia in a sauce of cherry tomato, swordfish,
mint and prawns (€10), or the pasta nostromo, dressed with the roe of a John Dory,

Mazzara prawns, tomatoes and garlic (€15). Mon & Wed–Sun lunch & dinner.

Ulisse Via Chiaramonte 45 0923 869 333. Reached down the stepped Vico San
Rocco, just off the main square, and with a pretty courtyard garden. The pizzas here
(€5–9) are the best in town (and Sun sees a queue form early), while the regular menu
is good too, if on the pricey side. Gluten-free dishes are offered. Daily lunch & dinner;
closed Thurs in winter.

< Back to Trapani and the west

North of Trapani

North of Trapani, the main attraction is the resort town of San Vito Lo Capo, though
with a car you could explore the rugged coastline en route, the road weaving under
some of the gigantic outcrops of rock that characterize Sicily’s west. The most
spectacular, Monte Cofano (659m), is protected as a nature reserve. Although none
of the settlements is particularly beautiful, a couple of outstanding hotels might make