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On foot
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History
Drepana was founded by the Elymians to serve as the port of the nearby city of Eryx (present-day Erice), which overlooks it from Monte Erice. The city sits on a low-lying promontory jutting out into the Mediterranean Sea.
Photo of Trapani from Monte Erice, by Michal Osmenda on Wikipedia
It was originally named Drépanon from the Greek word for "sickle", because of the curving shape of its harbor. 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.
Trapani is one of the traditional locations of the mattanza tuna fishing technique, alongside: (San Giuliano, San Cusumano, Isola di Formica, Favignana, Bonagia, San Vito Lo Capo, Scopello, Capo Granitola). Today, this technique is forbidden but the fishing port is very active and hosts 142 small and medium fishing boats, for a total of 2805 GRT (gross tonnage).
Painting of the mattanza, by Antonello Masala on Wikipedia
Attractions
Trapani has different places of interest that you must visit.
Mercato del pesce
The old fish market renovated in 1998, is now used for cultural events and a new one, large and modern, more functional for fishing activities has been located near the port. It represents the only market in the Province and its recent restructuring, with European funds, places it at the forefront at the national level both in terms of marketing and product traceability.
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Photo of the Mercato del pesce, by Andrea Albini on Wikipedia
Madonna di Trapani
The old city of Trapani dates from the later medieval or early modern periods; there are no more remains of the ancient city and many of the city's historic buildings are designed in the Baroque style.
The Basilica santuario di Maria Santissima Annunziata (also called "Madonna di Trapani") is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica, dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Trapani, Sicily. It is included in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trapani.
Photo of the Madonna di Trapani, by Berthold Werner Jonsson on Wikipedia
Fontana del Tritone
The fountain, now known as the Triton’s, was built in 1890 to celebrate the construction of the aqueduct “Dammusi”, intended to supply the city with drinking water wanted by the on. Nunzio Nasi inaugurated it in the same year. Originally it was composed of the only large octagonal basin that in 1951 the sculptor Domenico Li Muli Trapani embellished with the insertion of a sculptural group of mythological subjects, in concrete, formed by the statues of the Nereids, Nymphs of the sea, and of a Triton that blows inside a big skin for shaking the waves or placating its fury: placed on a chariot shaped like a shell, it is pulled by two seahorses, mythical creatures partly horses and partly fish, among sea monsters.
Photo of the Fontana del Tritone, by Stefano59Rivara on Wikipedia
Torre di Ligny
Seen from above, the historic center of Trapani looks like a crescent suspended between two seas. According to legend, in fact, Trapani was born from a sickle that fell from the hands of Ceres. Along this strip of land that flows into the Sicilian sea, palaces, churches, and sea views follow one another. Perhaps the best way to visit the oldest part of the historic center is to start from the tip jutting out into the sea: here is the Torre di Ligny built in 1671 to defend the city.
Photo of the Torre di Ligny, by JLeandro Neumann Ciuffouploaded on Wikipedia
This is where the Mediterranean and Tyrrhenian Seas cross. The tower now houses the Museo Civico Antropologico with artifacts from the Punic and Roman eras.
100 meter further back is the small Chiesa di San Liberale, the most loved by fishermen.
Villino Nasi
From there you can walk along the cliff to and admire the Villino Nasi up close, built at the beginning of the 20th century by the Trapani minister Nasi in the early 1900s.
Photo of the Villino Nasi, by Civa61 on Wikipedia
Palazzo Milo and Palazzo della Giudecca
Returning towards the center, we recommend taking Via delle Mura di Tramontana, a spectacular walk that leads to Piazza del Mercato del Pesce with the statue of Venus emerging from the sea in the center. Along the way, you will come across dozens of churches to which we dedicate point 2 of the guide. Prestigious palaces not to be missed are Palazzo Milo, and the Palazzo della Giudecca.
Photo of the Palazzo Milo, by Luigi Battaglieri on Wikipedia
Complesso dell'Annunziata and Museo Pepoli
Another place of interest that deserves to be visited is the Complesso dell’Annunziata with the adjoining Museo Pepoli, where it is possible to see paintings (13th - 19th century); sculptures; nativity scenes of Trapani craftsmanship, in wood, canvas, and glue; goldsmithing; sacred vestments and period clothing belonging to the Trapani nobility; majolica; relics of the Italian Risorgimento.
Photo of the Museo Pepoli, by Dedda71 on Wikipedia
Palazzo Senatorio
The main street in the old town is Via Vittorio Emanuele, a long pedestrian street that leads to the most beautiful monument in the historic center: Palazzo Senatorio, now the seat of the Town Hall. This palace, a Baroque marvel, has three orders, embellished with the statues of the Madonna of Trapani, San Giovanni Battista, and Sant'Alberto da Trapani. Above the statues are the two characteristic chests with the clock and date display with the city's coat of arms in the center.
Photo of the Palazzo Senatorio, by Michiel1972 on Wikipedia
Porta Oscura and Torre dell'Orologio
To the left of the building is the Torre dell’Orologio integrated into the Porta Oscura, one of the defensive gates that have defended Trapani for millennia. The clock, together with that of Prague, is one of the most beautiful and oldest in Europe.
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Photo of the Torre dell'Orologio, by Jos Dielis on Wikipedia
Cattedrale di Trapani and Chiesa del Purgatorio
Trapani is also known as the city of the "hundred churches", most of which are concentrated in the historic center. Let's start with the main monument: the Cathedral which is located right next to the Palazzo Senatorio. The Cattedrale di Trapani, dedicated to San Lorenzo, dates back to around 1600: inside it preserves a marvelous Crucifixion by the Flemish painter Van Dyck and a Dead Christ in local stone.
Photo of the Cattedrale di San Lorenzo, by milos milosevic on Wikipedia
If the Cathedral is the most important religious place, the people of Trapani love the smaller and more discreet Chiesa del Purgatorio, because it preserves the Mysteries of Trapani.
Photo of the Chiesa del Purgatorio, by Danilo sansica on Wikipedia
Riserva naturale and Museo del Sale
The Museo del Sale is located in Nubia, a hamlet of the municipality of Paceco, in the province of Trapani. It is located inside an ancient windmill, in the "Riserva natural intregrale Saline di Trapani e Paceco". However, it is a private facility.
In addition to being able to visit the Museo del Sale, it is possible to contemplate the beauty of the salt flats, known as the Saline, interspersed with photogenic windmills, still used today for pumping water and grinding salt. In certain seasons of the year, sunsets turn the water pink and, sometimes, it is possible to see flamingos.
Photo of the Museo del Sale, by Chiara Miceli on Wikipedia
Food
As far as typical food is concerned, the typical dishes of the Trapani cuisine are the Busiate al Pesto Trapanese, the Cous cous alla Trapanese, the Spaghetti con uova di San Pietro.
Busiate al Pesto Trapanese
Trapani-style pesto originates in the Trapani ports of western Sicily. Genoese ships stopped in those ports, introducing pesto to the Sicilians. The people of Trapani modified the traditional recipe by adding the typical ingredients of their territory, namely almonds, fresh tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil.
Photo of the Busiate al Pesto Trapanese, by RoBes81 on Wikipedia
Cous Cous alla Trapanese
Trapani cous cous is steam-cooked in a particular terracotta pot and seasoned with a fish soup broth.
Spaghetti con uova di pesce San Pietro
It is a spaghetti pasta seasoned with St. Peter's fish roe.
If you are looking for places to eat in Trapani, here is a list of recommendations:
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La Taverna Trapanese, an institution in the city, is known for its unsurpassed fish dishes;
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Ristorante Antichi Sapori is the right place to taste many variations of poor seafood cuisine;
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Trattoria Cantina Siciliana, defined by the New York Times as "A gem clad in blue managed by Pino Maggiore, a lifelong seafarer”;
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Serisso 47, located in a beautiful building in the center, under the ancient tuff vaults of Favignana, is a restaurant that has made Trapanese tradition its pride and innovation its vocation. The menu offers many original courses exquisitely reworked with special touches, a perfect reinterpretation of the Trapani gastronomic tradition. The recommended dishes are the Calamari croccanti con Giardiniera di Verdure all'Argentiera, the red pesto and tuna bottarga with raw tomato puree, the marinade of Nubia red garlic, basil, and almonds, the bluefin tuna bottarga from the company "FAO37".
Tips
Sunset spots
Two of the places mentioned among the attractions in this guide are places where you can witness breathtaking sunsets.
This is the Torre di Ligny, from which it is possible to see a sunset "over two seas", as the tower is located on a peninsula that divides the maritime space in two. Furthermore, from the same place, it is possible to enjoy the fantastic panorama offered by Monte Erice; just as, when the horizon is clear, it is possible to admire the splendid Egadi Islands in front of Trapani.
Another place from which the sunset is unmissable is undoubtedly the Museo del Sale and, in general, the entire Saline coast.
Cannolo from the Euro Bar in Dattilo
If you are in Trapani or nearby, advice that only a local can give you is to stop at the Euro Bar in Dattilo, a small village that has become famous thanks to the fame acquired by the bar due to its delicious cannoli.
The peculiarity of Dattilo's cannoli lies precisely in its extreme authenticity: the Euro Bar cannoli, in addition to being quite large, is also filled with almost raw ricotta, giving the dish an authentic flavor which, nowadays, is difficult to find in the typical cannoli enjoyed elsewhere.
Photo of the Euro Bar's cannolo, by Dedda71 on Wikipedia