Tourism Trapani - Italy

Trapani: Tourism information Trapani

Trapani (Tràpani in Sicilian) is a city on the west coast of Sicily in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an important fishing port and the main gateway to the nearby Egadi Islands.

Trapani history

Trapani was founded by the Elymians to serve as the port of the nearby city of Erice (ancient Eryx), which overlooks it from Monte San Giuliano. The city sits on a low-lying promontory jutting out into the Mediterranean Sea. It was originally named Drépanon from the Greek word for "sickle", because of the curving shape of its harbour. Carthage seized control of the city in 260 BC, subsequently making it an important naval base, but ceded it to Rome in 241 BC following the Battle of the Aegates in the First Punic War.

Two ancient legends tell of mythical origins for the city. In the first legend, Trapani stemmed from the sickle which fell from the hands of the goddess Demeter while she was seeking for her daughter Persephone, who had been kidnapped by Hades. The second myth features Saturn, god of the sky, who eviscerated his father Cronus with a sickle which, falling into the sea, created the city. In ancient times Saturn was the god-protector of Trapani. Today Saturn's statue stands in a piazza in the centre of the city.

The city was badly damaged during World War II when it was subjected to intense Allied bombardments. It has grown greatly since the end of the war, sprawling out virtually to the foot of Monte San Giuliano. Tourism has grown in recent years due to the city's proximity to popular destinations such as Erice, Segesta and the Egadi Islands.

Trapani: Sights

Much of the old town of Trapani dates from the later medieval or early modern periods; there are no extant remains of the ancient city. Many of the city's historic buildings are designed in the Baroque style. Notable monuments include:

The Church of Sant'Agostino (14th century, with the splendid rose-window
The Church of Santa Maria di Gesù (15th century-16th century)
The magnificent Basilica-Sanctuary of Maria Santissima Annunziata (also called "Madonna di Trapani") originally built in 1315-1332 and rebuilt in 1760. It houses a marble statue of the Madonna of Trapani, which might be the work of Nino Pisano
Fontana di Tritone (Triton's Fountain)
The Baroque Palazzo della Giudecca or Casa Ciambra
The Cathedral (1635)
The city is renowned for its Easter procession, The Misteri, when the town's guilds parade a groups of sculpted 17th century and 18th century religious statues through the streets in a procession lasting for 16 hours on Good Friday and Holy Saturday.

Trapani localities:
BUSETO PALIZZOLO Calatafimi Campobello Di Mazara CASTELLAMMARE DEL GOLFO Castelvetrano CUSTONACI ERICE Favignana GIBELLINA MARSALA MAZARA DEL VALLO PACECO Pantelleria PARTANNA Petrosino Poggioreale Salaparuta SALEMI SAN VITO LO CAPO Santa Ninfa TRAPANI VALDERICE Vita

Part of the information regarding the history, the art, the traditions and the events of the province of present Trapani on this page is drawn from the situated one www.wikipedia.org respecting the GNU Free Documentation License.