Saline di Nubia
- Saline di Nubia
– Are you going on a trip to Sicily and want to visit the South-West of Sicily ?
– Are you wondering about the best interesting touristic places to visit ?
– That’s a good thing because there are a lot of top attractions to discover visiting Sicily !
- Visit Trapani old town
Trapani old town map
It takes about 60 minutes driving from Tre Fontane to Trapani. You don’t need to take the car to visit Trapani old town. It’s not huge and can easily be visited on foot.
There are no really famous or well-known buildings, but a short stroll through its narrow streets is very pleasant. The oldest streets are Via Garibaldi, Corso Italia and Corso Vittorio Emanuele.
Here is a list of monuments and churches to admire:
- Ligny Tower at the tip of Trapani
- The Agostino Pepoli Regional Museum
- The Basilica of St. Lawrence
- Church of the souls in purgatory
- The Contemporary Art Museum
- Saturn Fountain
- The Twin Clock Tower
Don’t hesitate also to visit the fish market, a good way to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of a Sicilian city! Or take a walk to Villa Margherita Park to enjoy some greenery.
If you’re a shopping lover, you will for sure enjoy the Via Giovanni Battista Fardella, the main shopping street of the city, with its cafes, restaurants, shoes and clothing shops.
2. Erice Village
Erice castle, overlooking Trapani
If you are in Trapani, it’s certainly to visit the most famous nearby medieval village: Erice.
This medieval village is perched on a rocky cliff at more than 750 meters above sea level, offering a magnificent view of Trapani, the Aegadian Islands and San Vito Lo Capo. It’s one of the most beautiful viewpoints in Sicily.
Your first option is to go there by car from Trapani, which takes around 30 minutes. You will then have to park on one of the paid car parks at the village entrance.
Your second option is to take a cable car from Trapani to Erice. A round trip costs 9€ and it takes around 10 minutes to arrive in the village. It’s the best option if you want to enjoy the magnificent scenery, but it’s also quite impressive! To take the cable car, you will need to park on the official parking lot. Some people may try to attract you to more expensive parking lots, just ignore them!
In Erice, I advise you to follow the signposted walk. It will allow you to see all the must-see attractions in the village, without missing anything. For me, the most impressive was the castle at the top of the cliff. From there, the view over the whole valley of Trapani and the sea is magnificent!
In the village, you will also find many restaurants, cafés, souvenir shops and pasticceria. The most famous is Maria Grammatico’s, which offers delicacies made from marzipan, cannoli and the complete range of Sicilian pastries. All this for a very reasonable price.
Erice is a very touristic village, you will meet a lot of people between the village entrance and the street leading to the castle. But if you move away from the main street and walk along the cobbled streets, everything quickly becomes quiet and peaceful. Don’t hesitate to walk around in the lesser known streets of the village after admiring the main attractions.
Voyage Tips
From Trapani, if you travel to Erice by car, you can take 2 roads: the SP 3 and the SP 31. I advise you to arrive by one and leave by the other to enjoy the different viewpoints! Travelling time is equivalent. However, if you have a big car, it’s better to take the SP 31, which is the widest and most recent.
Another tip: It’s not very warm in Erice, you can take a jacket with you, even in summer!
3. Favignana
Favignana, the biggest island of the Egadi archipelago
With Levanzo and Maretimo, Favignana is one of the 3 islands that forms the Aegadian Islands archipelago.
With Erice village, they are the must-see attractions during your stay in Trapani. Favignana, the largest and the most visited island of the archipelago is the best served by boat.
From Trapani or Marsala, you will have to take a ferry to Favignana. All departures are from the port of Trapani or Marsala.
Going to the island takes about 30 minutes. Liberty lines company is the best in terms of schedules, with a lot of round trips everyday day.
Once in Favignana, your best option to visit the island is to rent a bike. On foot, you wouldn’t be able to do much, apart from visiting the village and its surroundings. Renting a car is not very practical on small paths.
Get on your bike and avoid falling into a pothole. Don’t worry, if you’re not ready for the Tour de France, the island tour is mostly flat.
Cycling routes and points of interest are well indicated. You can’t really get lost on the island, but it’s handy to have a map (they give you one when renting the bike) to see where you are and estimate the travelling time. It would be a shame to miss the ferry back!
There are 2 historic buildings to see on the island:
- The Palazzo Florio, housing the town hall
- The famous tonnara, the old tuna products factory.
If you go to Favignana, it’s mainly to go around the beaches and coves, enjoy the beautiful turquoise water and white sandy beaches.
Main points of interests: Cala Rossa, Lido Burrone, Cala Azzurra, Cala Rotonda and many others. For sure you will find a great place to swim!
And for diving enthusiasts, it’s simply heaven! The crystal clear water will allow you to observe groupers, lobsters and barracudas.
Voyage Tips Advice
Before you take the ferry home, stop by Roma16, you’ll thank us for tasting one of their ice creams. It’s one of the best I’ve had in my life, lemon perfume is really amazinig.
Favignana, the biggest island of the Egadi archipelago
4. Levanzo
Levanzo is the smallest Aegadian island, with only 6 km² of land.
If you want to visit it during you have 2 choices:
- Take the ferry from Trapani. The journey takes about 25 minutes.
- From Favignana, you can take taxi boats. It takes around 10 minutes.
Levanzo’s peculiarity is the Genovese prehistoric cave, housing representations of people and animals dating almost 10 000 years back.
You can go there by boat or on foot, following a footpath on the side of the mountain. Your choice!
Other things to do in Levanzo include a seaside walk, swimming, sunbathing, diving and aperitif! This quiet little island is the perfect place to relax and rest. There is no road in Levanzo, hence no sound pollution from cars.
5. Marettimo
If you want to visit all the Aegadian Islands, you can go to Marettimo, the wildest, the farthest and certainly the least touristic of the 3 islands.
To get there, count 1h20 in hydrofoil from Trapani.
In Marettimo, just like in Levanzo, you can enjoy the calm and sunshine or go swimming in magnificent coves. You can also book a boat trip to visit the many karst caves in the area. It’s also a great destination if you enjoy hiking, with many trails offering superb views. Punta Troia Castle is a must!
It’s the ideal place to spend a day far from the civilization before returning home.
6. Trapani and Paceco salt pans
Trapani salt pans
From Trapani, don’t miss the salt road or via del sale in Italian. It will take you along the salt pans, from Trapani to Marsala.
The view of the salt piles and old windmills (used to grind salt) reflected in the water is simply magnificent. The salt pans are inside a nature reserve, which has allowed the restoration of some of the mills. However, most of them are no longer in activity or just used for a small traditional production.
The salt being processed there is nowadays considered a luxury product mainly used for fine cuisine. You can buy some if you want!
Voyage Tips
Come to the salt pans at sunset, the orange and pink reflections in the water are very nice!
7. Marsala
Chiesa Madre church, in Marsala
It takes about 30 minuter driving from Tre Fontane to Marsala and after that you can take the via del sale.
If you don’t know the city, you may know its typical product. Marsala, the famous wine of the same name! If you’ve never tasted it before, this is your chance. Many stalls organize tastings.
And to sober up after all this wine tasting, you should take a walk in the old town.
Here are the must-see attractions in Marsala:
- The Baroque Cathedral dedicated to St. Thomas or Chiesa Madre
- The Republic Square
- The Palace April VII, former Senate palace, now the town hall
- The Saint Joseph’s Church
- The “Baglio Anselmi” archaeological museum, which houses the world’s only Phoenician warship.
- The Saint Peter’s Monastery
- The Carmine church and convent
- Segesta Temple
30 minutes driving from Tre Fontane there is one of the most important archaeological ancient monument in the region, the Temple of Segesta.
This ancient city was founded by the Elymes. It has suffered many armed conflicts, notably with the neighbouring city of Selinunte. Today, all that remains is a temple and a theatre.
Segesta Temple, lost in the countryside, is beautifully preserved and offers a panoramic surrounding view. Historians assume that this temple made of 36 Doric columns could never be completed because of the conflicts. The temple never had a roof!
The theatre is located on Mount Barbaro, 400m above sea level. With a capacity of 4,000 spectators in the ancient times, It nowadays still hosts plays and concerts in the summer.
To get to the theatre from the Temple, you will have to follow a 2 km uphill path. If you wish, you can also take a bus to the summit and go back down on foot afterwards.
To visit Segesta, you will have to park on the paid parking and take the shuttle to see the theatre on the top of the hill.
- Mount Cofano Nature Reserve
From Trapani you can go to Monte Cofano Nature Reserve (Riserva Naturale Orientata Monte Cofano). Less known than its “rival”, the Zingaro nature reserve, it’s nevertheless just as pretty.
There are 2 entries in the reserve:
- One on the side of Cornino town (30 minutes’ drive from Trapani)
- The other on the side of San Vito Lo Capo (1 hour from Trapani).
To get there you will have to take a rather bumpy path but don’t hesitate to continue up to the parking. The access to the reserve is normally paid.
The walk begins on a pleasant flat path along the seaside. Going to the other side of the reserve takes about 1h30 (3hrs round trip) and is very easy. There are many many nice viewpoints along the way, and you will be able to swim in some coves (near the 2 entrances). Don’t forget to take water, a hat and sunscreen as there is no shade at all and nowhere to buy anything.
Another trail leads to the summit of Mount Cofano. This one requires a good physical condition as the climbs gets a bit steep, and you need to use ropes attached to the rocks to go up.
Bring hiking boots and a good equipment, don’t go in flip-flops! You will be rewarded for your efforts with the stunning view from the top of Monte Cofano. Count 4 to 5 hours for the round trip, depending on your walking speed.
- Selinunte
It takes about 20 minutes driving from Tre Fontane to Selinunte.
The largest Archaeological area in Europe.
Mith, legend, history, culture: the Park of Selinunte is even more than this. A coffer of treasures far away millenia yet still alive, right here. 270 hectares that tell about one of the most flourishing classical civilizations of the Mediterranean area.
A rich story to be discovered, sought after by tourists as well as researchers and academics from all over the world.
Have a look at the web site : https://en.visitselinunte.com/archaeological-park/#temples
Trapani
Colori, profumi, sapori, artigianato, storia e una grande ricchezza architettonica e monumentale costituiscono l’anima della provincia di Trapani.
Situata sulla costa occidentale della Sicilia, Trapani è capoluogo della provincia.
Fu fondata dagli antichi Greci e rappresenta oggi un importante porto peschereccio.Nell’estrema punta occidentale della Sicilia, sulla rotta dei Fenici, nei mari dove si avventurò Ulisse tra saline , tonnare, isolotti e coralli, la provincia di Trapani offre al visitatore un incredibile patrimonio di natura, storia , archeologia e mito
Scopello
Vicino la Riserva dello Zingaro è un piccolo villaggio costruito intorno ad un antico Baglio del XVII secolo, situato a 100 m dal livello del mare. Rappresenta uno dei villaggi più suggestivi e pittoreschi della provincia.
Le isole Egadi: Favignana, Levanzo e Marettimo
Si trovano di fronte al porto di Trapani e si possono intravedere dalla città.
Favignana nota anche come “la farfalla sul mare”.
Levanzo si trova di fronte la costa a nord di Favignana ed è nota per i suoi fondali ricchi di resti archeologici. Incredibili i colori verdi e blu intenso delle sue acque ricche di flora e fauna, autentico paradiso per chi ama lo snorkling e le immersioni.
Marettimo è l’isola più lontana da raggiungere, ma merita assolutamente una visita essendo la più selvaggia tra le isole, grazie alle sue meravigliose grotte e i sentieri in altura, permettendo al visitatore di trovarsi in un vero e proprio paradiso della natura.
Erice
Borgo medievale che gode di una splendida posizione su Trapani, è l’ideale per un ritorno al passato dopo assolate giornate al mare. Case in pietra e stradine fatte di ciottoli, piazzette, strette vie, suggestivi cortili fioriti e più di sessanta piccole chiese, si susseguono insieme a torri e castelli. Famosa per la sua architettura e di edifici di grande rilevanza storica come : il Castello di Venere, Il Castello Pepoli, la Cattedrale. Resterete totalmente inebriati dalle tante pasticcerie che sfornano pasticcini e biscotti dell’antica tradizione ericina a base di crema pasticcera, ricotta e marmellata di agrumi. Per i palati più esigenti desiderosi di un ritorno al passato
San Vito Lo Capo
Soprannominata la “Perla Bianca della Sicilia” per via del suo aspetto arabo, per le casette basse dipinte di bianco e per la lunga spiaggia di finissima sabbia bianca e finissima tanto fa far invidia ai tropici per la limpidezza dei colori. Situata all’estremità nord-ovest della Sicilia, incastonata tra due tesori naturalisti fra i più belli dello Stivale: la Riserva dello Zingaro e la Riserva di Monte Cofano, è una delle mete più rinomate della provincia per il suo clima, le viuzze ornate di fiori, i profumi intensi, i suoi panorami e la famosa gastronomia e gli eventi speciali come il Cous Cous Fest.
Selinunte
Antica città greca, fondata nella seconda metà del VII sec. a.c., costituisce il più grande parco archeologico d’Europa e la più straordinaria raccolta di rovine mai ritrovata.
Mazara del Vallo
Nota per il suo il centro storico che presenta i tratti tipici dei quartieri a impianto urbanistico islamico tipico delle medine , chiamato Kasbah, per la moltitudini di chiese, per il litorale sabbioso e in parte roccioso, è una cittadina che merita una visita essendo ricca di storia e arte. Terra di sole e tradizioni, buon cibo e pesce fresco, tra cui i celebri gamberi rossi di Mazara del Vallo.
