Erice's chief attraction is the medieval town, although there are some individual points of interest worth seeking out as you make your way along its cobblestone streets. The historic core of Erice forms a triangle, with the southeastern corner framed by the Castello di Venere . In the southwestern corner is the Chiesa Matrice, near Porta di Trapani, the best place to park your car before you walk into the medieval center. The access road to Erice affords panoramic vistas of Trapani plains and the sea.
After leaving Porta di Trapani, your first discovery will be immediately to the northeast. Chiesa Matrice di Erice, Via Vito Carvini (tel. 0923-869123), is the main church of Erice. Not quite a cathedral, it was constructed in 1314 using stones from the ancient Temple of Venus that once stood here. Its merlon-topped walls speak of the church's former role as a fortress and a place of worship. The rose window on the church facade is a thing of beauty, as is its Gothic porch.
If you climb the church's campanile, or bell tower, you'll be rewarded with a stunning view across the Gulf of Trapani to the Egadi Islands. Ordered built by Frederick of Aragon, the former watchtower has impressive Gothic mullioned windows. The church is open Monday through Friday from 9:30am to 12:30pm and 3:30 to 5:30pm, Saturday and Sunday from 9:30am to 1pm and 3:30 to 6pm.
If you walk north from the church, you can follow Mura Elimo Puniche, the Elimo Punic walls constructed by the Elimini (8th-6th c. B.C.) around the northeastern flank of Erice. Any attack on the town had to come from this direction, which was exposed. The best-preserved part of the walls lies along Via dell'Addolorata, stretching from Porta Carmine to Porta Spada, which is at the far northern end of the massive fortifications.
At Porta Spada, the end of your "wall walk," you'll find yourself at Chiesa di Santa Orsola, a 1413 church with its original Gothic rib-vaulting still on view in the nave. Directly to the east of this church is the Quartiere Spagnola. Launched in the 17th century but never finished, this "Spanish Quarter" building is no grand sight, but a panoramic vista unfolds from here over the Bay of Cofano.
In the historic core of Erice stands the Museo Civico Antonio Cordici, Piazza Umberto I, at Corso Vittorio Emanuele (tel. 0923-869172), open Monday and Thursday from 9am to 1:30pm and 2:30 to 5:30pm; Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9am to 1:30pm; and Sunday from 9am to 2pm; admission is free. Named for a local historian, the building was originally a library dating from 1867. In its entrance hall is a magnificent 1525 relief of the Annunciation by Antonello Gagini, one of his most impressive pieces of art. Upstairs are displays of the more intriguing artifacts from archaeological digs in the area, including a small Attic head of Venus dating from the 5th century B.C.
Heading east, you'll come first to Giardino del Balio, initially constructed by the Normans as a forward defense for their castle . The gardens take their name from a former Norman governor and were mapped out in 1870 by Count Agostino Pepoli. Situated on the summit of a hill, the gardens open onto one of the most spectacular views in western Sicily, embracing the peaks of Monte Cofano with distant views of the Egadi Islands. On a clear day you can see all the way to Cap Bon in Tunisia, a distance of 170km (106 miles). The gardens are always open; entrance is free.
Saving the best for last, you'll come to Castello di Venere, or Castle of Venus, built atop Mount San Giuliano on the same spot where in ancient times a temple to the goddess stood. Dating from the 12th century, the present castello was constructed as a defensive fortification by the Normans. Massive and majestic, it became the seat of Norman authority in the west. It's still encircled by mammoth medieval towers. Above the entrance to the castle, note the coat of arms of Charles V and an original Gothic window. The castle provides an even more memorable view than does the adjoining Giardino del Balio; you can see the plains of Trapani and the Egadi Islands to the southwest. In fair weather, you can even spot the offshore island of Ustica.
After all the looting, burning, and destruction this castle has witnessed over the centuries, little is left of the ruins. But that view still makes it worthwhile. The castle is open daily from 9am to 8pm year-round, with no admission fee.
