Highlights of North West Sicily

I’m back from another holiday in sunny Sicily where we enjoyed time with family and friends, days at the beach in the sun and Erice mountain on a sunny day but we were lucky enough to visit again in its mystic charm of a foggy day

The first week was glorious with temperatures reaching 30 degrees centigrades but the light breeze made it was comfortable in the sun

During the second week, the temperatures dropped to 23 degrees centigrades and we had a few heavy thunderstorms with rain pouring down like no tomorrow with thundering and lightning continuously for a good 30 minutes every time. Quite exciting to watch but worrying at the same time

The beach we loved and preferred is in San Vito Lo capo between Trapani and Palermo, it’s a beautiful spot with a long stretch of white sand and pristine blue waters

Since Trapani isn’t a place many people have heard of, it is a new destination on cruising maps so I would like to give you some insights to let you know what you can do here. There are many sights you can visit but here are a few.

This is a very small port which but in recent year it has had some work done to accommodate medium size ships. There is no terminal building at the port which makes and I have never seen long queues. You don’t need to book an excursion to see Trapani itself because the port is in the town centre. Here you can disembark on foot and cross the road to enter the town centre. You will find yourself walking along old cobbled streets where you’ll find some lovely churches you can visit, the best-preserved one is the Cathedral of San Lorenzo. Along either side of this cobbled streets, you will find designer shops like Prada, Liu Jo, Burberry, D&G and jewellers selling local coral as well as lovely pieces of jewellers amongst bar and restaurants with outdoor seating. The Cathedral is only minutes walk and it’s a must for any tourist passing the town, an interesting stop for the art lovers where you can appreciate the variety of Its beautiful arts and architecture derived from different centuries and conquers.

Italy is known for its ice creams but Sicilians, renown for their perfectionism, have made it the best place to be for the authentic flavours. The “granita” a traditional local freshment known in England as “slush” is amazing and very fragrant. The recipe comes from a tradition from this area and it’s made with freshly picked local lemons. Find yourself an ice cream parlour and relax Alfresco before getting back.

Nearby is Erice, a touristy Medieval town towering over the city of Trapani at 751m above sea level. Not advisable for travellers with walking difficulties since the cobbled streets are on a hillside and are a bit slippy. Erice is about 30 minutes by car or 10 minutes by cable car. You will have to get a taxi to the cable car departure point which is only 5 minutes but during heavy traffic, it can take 25 minutes. The ride up with cable car is worth it, the views are absolutely stunning. On a clear day, you can see the Egadi Islands off the coast, the Tyrrhenian Sea and the coastline towards San Vito Lo Capo, Monte Cofano and the Gulf of Castellammare. Here it’s worth booking a taxi to get you to the cable car and back from the cable car to the ship.

There is a fee to enter the Medieval Castles and some of the Churches but it’s affordable at 3 Euros per person or can buy a day pass for 6 Euros. This money is used to fund projects of the restoration of many Medieval buildings and churches in the town. Many churches are closed to the public because they are considered hazardous to access, but they are being restored and will be given back to the public. duomo Erice inside

Among the sites, you can visit is the Duomo, the cathedral, built by the Arabs the main church is in Gothic style with its ceilings in stucco and it’s tower bell. The Pepoli Castle and Venus Castle and its gardens. The views from here are divine, photograph lover will really enjoy this spot

Erice today plays host to a series of renowned international scientific conferences and, in particular, an annual congress dedicated to Astronomy.

The local typical tradition is the Ceramic, here you can find any type of souvenir made and painted by local artisans. Here again, there are some very old shops where you can buy the “Genovesi” which is a local dessert of biscuits filled with something similar to custard but not quite the same as custard. You can tell the Sicilian loves their patisserie by the number of shops everywhere!

We loved our visit to Sicily and would recommend anyone a visit