Erice Sicily

After a day of sailing, which included a very relaxing day of checking out the ship, eating way too much, and attending high tea, our next port of call was in Sicily. We pulled into Trapani on Thursday morning to a party cloudy day. Our morning was filled with a scheduled excursion out beyond Trapani though, to the mountain town of Erice. Erice fascinated me because of both it’s mountain views and the way in which this little town has seemingly been preserved for centuries, all the while still functioning as a home to locals.

I knew Erice would satisfy my desire to see the old ways of life in Sicily, but I wasn’t so sure about how it would be for photography. Turns out, I needn’t have worried. There was plenty to see up there.

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From the moment we stepped through the Porta Trapani, we were greeted by a scene of a Sicilian town from just about any time period you want to name. Cobblestone streets, stone buildings, church towers and castles were there to be explored.

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Of course, as with any town in this part of the world, the local Cathedral, or Duomo Real, was our first stop after we entered the town. Built in the 14th century, using materials from the ancient Temple of Venus, it definitely shows it’s age in some ways, and it’s much smaller than some of the grand cathedrals we toured on other stops, but I found it quite charming nonetheless.

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After that, we made our way through the town over to the old Norman Castle, which is on a cliff at the edge of town, and provides some spectacular views of Trapani on the area around it on one side, and Monte Cofano on the other,

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On top of that, because of the height of Mount Erice, when the day went from sunny to cloudy, even for a few minutes as a cloud or two passed by, it turned the town into a surreal, foggy, environment.
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I don’t think I could have planned a morning of shooting with such contrasting styles available to me. I loved Erice.

You can see more of Erice in my Flickr Set.