Erice

For the Spanish film director, see Victor Erice.

Erice Èryx (Greek)
Comune
Città di Erice
View of Erice
Location of Erice
Erice Location of Erice in Italy Erice Erice (Sicily)
Coordinates: 38°2′13″N 12°35′11″E
Country	Italy
Region	Sicily
Province	Trapani (TP)
Frazioni	Ballata, Casa Santa, Crocefissello, Napola, Pizzolungo, Rigaletta, San Cusumano, Torretta
Government
• Mayor	Daniela Toscano
Area
• Total	47 km2 (18 sq mi)
Elevation	751 m (2,464 ft)
Population  (31 March 2020)
• Total	27,464
• Density	580/km2 (1,500/sq mi)
Demonym	Ericini
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	91016
Dialing code	0923
Patron saint	SS. Mary of Custonaci
Website	Official website

Erice (Italian pronunciation: [ˈɛːɾitʃe]; Sicilian: Èrici [ˈɛːɾɪʃɪ]) is a historic town and comune in the province of Trapani, Sicily, southern Italy. It is a member of the I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy") association.

Geography

The historic centre of Erice is located on top of Mount Erice, at around 750 metres (2,460 ft) above sea level, overlooking the city of Trapani, the low western coast towards Marsala, the dramatic Punta del Saraceno and Capo San Vito to the north-east, and the Aegadian Islands on Sicily's north-western coast.

Casa Santa, the lower district of Erice, is situated at the base of Mount Erice, immediately adjacent to Trapani.

A cable car (funivia) connects the upper and lower parts of the municipality. Originally opened in 2005, it was closed in 2017 following forest fire damage and reopened in June 2018 after restoration.

The bordering municipalities are Buseto Palizzolo, Paceco, Trapani, Valderice and Custonaci. The hamlets (frazioni) are Ballata, Casa Santa, Crocefissello, Napola, Pizzolungo, Rigaletta, San Cusumano and Torretta.

History

Tower of the Chiesa Madre (Cathedral)

Main article: Eryx (Sicily)

The ancient Greek name of Erice was Eryx (Έρυξ in Greek), and its foundation was associated with the eponymous Greek hero Eryx. It was not a Greek colony, as the Phoenicians founded it, but was largely Hellenized. It was destroyed in the First Punic War by the Carthaginians, and from then on declined in importance.

Eryx was conquered by the Aghlabids in 831 and was renamed as Cebel Hamid (in Western sources Gebel Hamed, meaning Mountain of Hamid). It was ruled by the Arabs until the Norman conquest. In 1167 the Normans renamed it Monte San Giuliano, a name maintained until the 20th century.

20th Century

In 1934 the town changed its name from Monte San Giuliano to Erice.

During the Second World War a Luftwaffe Operations Centre (associated with Zerstörergeschwader 26 and Jagdgeschwader 27 which operated out of the nearby Trapani–Milo Airport) was located on the slopes of Monte Erice from early 1943 until they were forced by Allied air raids to relocate. Following the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943 troops of the 2nd Battalion of the 505th Infantry Regiment Seventh Army under the command of Major Mark Alexander began on 22 July 1943 to climb up the side of Monte Erice in order to secure the town and its commanding position overlooking the surrounding countryside. As they did so they came under artillery fire from Italian forces stationed on the ramparts with one soldier being killed and another wounded. Realizing that the safest position was directly under the walls of town the lead troops took shelter there. Rather than waiting on artillery support to arrive the decision was then made for F Company to attack. However before the troops had come close enough to engage them the Italian forces signaled their surrender.

Landmarks

Key sites in Erice’s historic centre include:

• Cyclopean walls: Ancient fortifications that once protected Eryx. They are considered among the most significant surviving examples of early Mediterranean defensive architecture, incorporating Elymian, Punic, and medieval construction phases.
• Castle of Venus: A Norman-era fortress built on the site of an ancient sanctuary dedicated to Venus Erycina, a Roman adaptation of the Greek goddess Aphrodite. The area has been associated with religious activity since antiquity and features archaeological remains from Elymian, Roman, and medieval periods.
• Churches: Erice contains numerous historic churches, including the 14th-century Mother Church (Chiesa Matrice), and others such as San Martino and San Giuliano, representing a range of architectural styles and periods.
• Cordici Museum (Polo Museale “A. Cordici”): A civic museum housed in a former Franciscan convent, founded in 1876 to conserve artworks and archaeological finds from suppressed religious institutions and local collections. Its holdings include Elymian and Roman artifacts, sacred art, ethnographic objects, and Garibaldian-era weapons. The museum also features a dedicated section for contemporary art, showcasing works from the La Salerniana collection, which includes pieces by prominent Italian artists from the latter half of the 20th century.
• Balio Towers (Torri del Balio): A group of medieval towers that served both defensive and administrative functions following the Norman conquest of southern Italy. They were the residence of the Bajulo, a royal official responsible for civil justice and taxation, and formed a gateway to the Castle of Venus.
• Pepoli Turret (Torretta Pepoli): A neo-Gothic retreat built between 1872 and 1880 by Count Agostino Pepoli as a place for study and cultural gatherings. Situated on a rocky outcrop east of the Balio Gardens, it blends medieval, Moorish, and Liberty architectural elements. Restored in 2014, it now serves as a multimedia museum and the “Observatory of Peace and Lighthouse of the Mediterranean”.
• Balio Gardens: Public gardens created in the 19th century by Count Agostino Pepoli on former grazing land adjacent to the Balio Towers. The gardens feature Mediterranean and exotic plantings, fountains, monuments, and viewpoints over Trapani and the surrounding coastline.

Culture

Erice hosts scientific meetings at the Ettore Majorana center, organised by the astrophysicist Antonino Zichichi. There is also an annual workshop on Molecular Gastronomy.

Gallery

• 
  Erice Cathedral with its bell tower
• 
  View inside the Cathedral
• 
  Rose window of the Cathedral
• 
  Cyclopean masonry
• 
  Via San Carlo
• 
  St Julian's Church
• 
  Castle of Balio
• 
  The stronghold and Castle of Venere
• 
  Castle of Venere
• 
  View of monte Cofano
• 
  Trapani seen from the castle
• 
  Monte Cofano seen from an alley in Erice
• 
  Via Carlo Levi 1902-1975

External links

• Official promotional video of Erice – from the Comune di Erice on YouTube.
• Erice Photo Essay