Trapani,

Sicily,

Italy

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Located on the northwest corner of Sicily, Trapani serves as the area fishing, wine making and olive producing hotspot. It is also the major passageway to the nearby Egadi Islands. Ferry service is provided to Tunisia, Pantelleria and Sardinia, attracting visitors from far and wide. Occupied by the Germans in World War II who used it as a major naval and shipping port to supply forces in Africa, the docks and surrounding areas were heavily damaged by Allied bombing. What began as a Greek settlement was turned over to Car- thage and eventually Roman rule. After many overturns in power and revolts and plagues in the 17th century, Trapani made a come- back. With many sites dating from the later medieval and early modern times there is great variety of cultures to be experienced. Various architectures are housed within the ever present fortifications and we spent the morning and into the early afternoon at the town of Erice which is elevated at 3600 feet, commanding the views and the defense of this area. As the Captain had predicted it had breezed up and the temperature dropped about 10 degrees. It was pretty chilly with the wind chill up in Erice and many of our group were not really prepared to be blustered.

The streets of Erice. Notice the pavement, I will talk of this more.

The stonework in the ceiling of the cathedral is quite un- believable. Not only is the artistry amazing, but at every site I just have to wonder, again, how was this done with- out the machinery and equipment that we know today. Huge amounts of patience and time must be the an- swer—as well as talent and skill.

This is knows as “A Com- manding View”. Would take a sturdy enemy to climb up here.

And it you did make the climb, you would still have to fight your way into the fortress, the back- side of which had a sheer drop of about 1000 feet.

The “North Shore”

Just very rugged terrain.

The pavement in Erice was as difficult to navi- gate as we have found. Nearby are quarries of marble, the highest quality going to monu- ments and churches. The second grade marble is available for other uses. Conse- quently, since medieval times, the streets of Erice have been paved as shown. The marble they mine is very tough and hard, so it shows very little wear, even after centuries. But it is very uneven, an ankle bender waiting to hap- pen. And it appears that it would be super slippery with dampness or rain.

Outside a Sicilian pottery shop. Town Square in Trapani, with a statue of Garibaldi, the Italian national hero.

Main Street, Trapani, Town Hall at the end of the street.

Inside the cathedral of Trapani, unfortunately named the Church of Purgatory

As you can see, the ship was liter- ally parked downtown in Trapani.

We departed at 5:00 pm for the overnight run up to Sardinia, our next stop.