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Trapani, Sicily Geography - History - Today		Click on the picture to see a full-screen map of downtown Trapani
Explore our land	Uncover our history	Enjoy our long summer
The town of Trapani is located in an unmatched natural scenery: rising between the sea and a mountain, framed by the Egadi islands on the West, the saltpans on the South, Mount Erice on the East and a mild and fertile hill landscape all around.	Since ancient times up until the 18th century, this land has been a privileged site of encounter and exchange between Mediterranean and Western European populations. Many diverse elements that make our cultural heritage opulent and unique.	Besides its setting and its historical heritage, Trapani is a city on a human scale with ideal weather conditions, delicious food, a rich season of theatre and music shows, and, of course, a cristal-clear sea.
For more information, click below	For more information, click below	For more information, click below
Trapani's Geography	Trapani's History	Trapani Today

Trapani's Geography

Trapani

Set on the westernmost tip of Sicily, among fishing towns and breath-taking seascapes, Trapani is the Italian city closest to Africa.

During Pre-history, Trapani was but a cluster of small islands and rocks that in time have been made into one strip of land, until they formed the sickle-shaped peninsula we know today.

Apart from its shape, Trapani will surprise you because of its position, between sea and mountain, that is between Mount Erice and the waters where the Egadi islands rise--Favignana, Levanzo et Marettimo.

Trapani seen from the Mount Erice: saltpans on the left, the Egadi in the backdrop

Environmental reserves around Trapani

Just outside the city you will find the Saline's reserve where shallow saltpans mirror the sky's colour, from blue to pink, and still yield table salt according to age-old methods.

In front of Trapani rise the Egadi islands, the largest sea reserve in Europe, with their clear waters and typical fishing towns.

Halfway between Trapani and Marsala, in the Stagnone Lagoon, archaeology and watersports live together.

West of Trapani, massive pyramid-like Mount Cofano, surrounded by the sea on three sides, is also an environmental reserve with two main footpaths.

Last but not least, next to San Vito lo Capo lies the Zingaro reserve: a six-kilometre stretch of untamed coast with the nicest beaches in Sicily!

Mount Cofano and the countryside near Valderice from the top of Erice

Climate

In Trapani the weather is mild during the short winter that ends early, by the end of February. Summer comes early too, typically by the end of May. In summer the weather is hot but tempered by the sea's and the wind's action. In fact, the heat in Trapani is never muggy, never too hot thanks to the breeze that blows constantly from the sea.

In July and August, the average temperature is around 30°, while the water temperature is over 20°. Click Here to see what the weather is like today in Trapani.

Wild nature on the island of Levanzo

Trapani's History

Between Myth and History

Two ancient legends offer two different versions of the birth of Trapani. According to the first, Trapani appeared out of the sickle that fell from the hands of harvest goddess Demetra while she tried to rescue her daughter Persephone from Hades, god of the underworld. The second myth has it that the sickle fell from Cronos' hands after he used it to emasculate his father Uranus.

Both tales show how history and mythintermingle in this part of Sicily.

More down-to-earth, historians tell us that Trapani rose at the age of Great Greece as the harbour of Erice, then an elymo-punic stronghold and temple.

The town of Erice concentrates 3000 years of history

The name 'Trapani' indeed originates from ancient Greek Drepanon, that means precisely "sickle", surely because of the shape of its coastline.

The town and its harbour actually existed even before the Greeks arrived: it seems that Sikans founded them in the XI century b.C. Around the same time Eryx (Erice) was founded by Elymans, a population of Troyan origins, while Phoenicians created Mothia.

Nowadays, Selinunte's ruins, Segesta's theatre and temple, Mothia's digs still witness the splendour of this past civilisations.

Segesta's doric temple is one of the finest examples of its kind in the world

From Middle Ages to present days

Since the Middle Ages until the second world war, Trapani has been a major maritime commercial centre, thanks to salt extraction, tuna fishing and processiong and to coral manufacturing: Trapani's Museo Pepoli enshrines uniquely crafted coral jewels and religious items, in addtion to its paintings and many other interesting items.

In a social and economic context that has completely changed, today Trapani opens up to an innovating type of tourism that combines modernity and tradition, environmental leisures and historical riches.

Trapani and Favignana in the background; in between, tiny Formica and its "tonnara"

Trapani Today

Where summer lasts six months a year

Getting around in and outside Trapani

The town of Trapani counts some 70.000 inhabitants, that go up to around 100.000 including neighbouring Erice, Valderice, Paceco and Egadi islands.

Trapani is very well connected to the surrounding sea and mountain resorts: the islands of Favignana and Levanzo are just 15 minutes away by boat, while the top of Mount Erice and the town of Erice itself is only 10 minutes away by cable-car.

Aliscafi (hydrofoils) rest at night; in the day, they link Trapani to Egadi islands and beyond

Getting around in Trapani's province

Trapani is also the "capoluogo" (chief town) of a "Provincia" (county) populated by some 500.000.

This area includes bustling cities like Marsala and Alcamo, archaeological sites like Segesta and Selinunte, sea resorts like San Vito Lo Capo and Scopello, nature reserves like the Zingaro.

In order to reach this localities, you can use both trains or coaches run by local companies.

Trapani today

Good food, fine wines...

The province of Trapani boasts a food & drink production of top quality, especially concerning fish & sea produce, wines (both red and white, plus famous Marsala and Passito) and olive oil.

Local gastronomy is a fascinating mix of Italian, Sicilian and oriental cookery: its specialities are fish couscous, sweet-and-sour aubergine caponata, lamb meat, almond pastries and ricotta cakes...

Without mentioning ice-creams, granite and tavola calda, our tasty traditional version of "fast-food".

> Our Cookery courses

Here are the ingredients to prepare "pesto trapanese" and other tasty local recipes

Geography -

History - Today - Top↑

Culture and events

Trapani and its province are also amongst the most vital in the cultural landscape of Sicily and southern Italy.

Several events take place every year in festivals or as single events; a few deserve being cited here, like the outdoor opera festival of Luglio Musicale Trapanese, the rich season of Segesta ancient theatre, as well as the theatrical shows in Selinunte archaeological area, the Blues Festival in Alcamo and the week of Baroque and Renaissance Music in Erice.

Segesta theatre gets ready for the play that starts just before sunset