With its delightful medieval ambience and splendid location, Erice is an interesting town popular with travelers, almost something of a western Sicilian Taormina. There are some ancient Elimi and Phoenician walls around the northeastern side of the city, and two castles, Pepoli Castle, with foundations dating from Saracen times, and Venus Castle, dating from the Norman era but built on ruins of the ancient Temple of Venus. Surrounded by a lush park, the hilltop castles alone are worth a stop in Erice, which offers charming old stone streets and medieval churches. Pepoli Castle was at first a feudal stronghold, though Erice was eventually ceded to the Crown as a demesnial city. The view from the castle towers is stupendous. Though both castles have been modified somewhat over the centuries, they still have that distinctively medieval character one expects of such fortresses.
Located on Sicily's western coast about 30 kilometers south of Trapani, Marsala was founded as a Carthaginian colony in 379 BC following the destruction of the nearby settlement on the island of Mozia by the Syracusans. Earlier, the region had been populated by native Sicanians. Lilibeo, as it was then known, soon emerged as an important naval base. Its position was ideally suited for that purpose, and the Carthaginians used it as the site for their landings in many of their attempts to conquer the island. Lilibeo was the only city that was not completely Hellenized. The Romans conquered it in 241 BC following the great sea battle that also led to the conquest of Drepanum (Trapani). The Romans called it Lilybaeum, and the city's prosperity continued under their rule. Cicero, who visited in 75 BC, described it as a "splendid city." It was enriched by its trade with Africa. Not surprisingly, the sea around Marsala has yielded many ancient treasures.
This large archeological zone, with its magnificent Doric temple, ranks as one of the best-preserved Greek architectural sites to be found anyplace. Strangely enough, it was built by the Elami (Elymians) and not by the Greeks themselves. Segesta's temple is situated in a pristine countryside, standing alone in tranquil beauty amidst nature. There are virtually no modern-day structures to mar the setting of the Temple. You can really enjoy the splendor of the structure and the tranquility of the setting. At Segesta, you can easily imagine what it was like to live in Sicily in ancient times. Taking into consideration all the Greek sites and temples existing in Sicily, we encourage you to see Segesta during your stay in Sicily, not only for the structures themselves, but for the beautiful and natural setting. This idyllic setting is nothing like that of the temples of Agrigento, which, magnificent though they are, are located on the edge of town amidst creeping urban sprawl and illegally constructed villas.

Temple of Segesta

Wind Mill - Trapani
Trapani was founded in antiquity on Sicily's western coast by the Sicanians and later colonized by the Elimi as Erice's port. The waters off the coast witnessed an epic sea battle between Carthaginians and conquering Romans in 241 BC, considered a turning point in Rome's conquest of the central Mediterranean. Geographically, Trapani is an unusual Sicilian city for its westward position, which affords spectacular views of some of the Mediterranean's most beautiful sunsets. The surrounding coastal plain is distinguished for its rich salt deposits, and the white mineral is ground by the windmills seen along the coast. All of which lends the environs an appearance that sometimes seems more Dutch than Sicilian.