From Trapani to the discover of Western Sicily
If you choose Pousada Noir, and so Trapani, as base for your holiday in Western Sicily, it is possible to reach in a very short time (with own or public means of transport) all the most beauty and famous touristic places of Western Sicily: Erice, Segesta, the Saltpans, San Vito lo Capo, Zingaro Nature Reserve, etc.
Trapani, its port, its churches, and its jewels
The ancient Drepanum offers a charming historical centre with a lot of baronial buildings, city walls and sighting towers. The city is famous all over the world for its corals and for tuna fishing. Nowadays Trapani is the italian capital of sailing.
Trapani was founded by the Elymians to serve as the port of the nearby city of Erice. 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. 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 24 hours on Good Friday and Holy Saturday.
It is 0 Km away from Pousada Noir which is located in the city centre. For further information
Erice, ancient Elimyan religious capital
Erice is well known all over the world because of its enchanting medieval small village, its amazing landscapes, its sweets, its ceramics, as well as for the scientific research centre "Ettore Maiorana". Once upon a time Erice was the religious capital of the mythical Elymian people.
Erice is located on the top of Mount Erice, about 750 meters above sea level, overlooking the city of Trapani, the low western coast towards Marsala, the dramatic Punta del Saraceno and San Vito lo Capo to the north-east, and the Aegadian Islands on Sicily's north-western coast, providing spectacular views. There are two castles that remain in the city: Pepoli Castle, which dates from Saracens times, and the Venus Castle, dating from the Norman period, built on top of the ancient Temple of Venus, where Venus Ericina was worshipped. According to legend, the temple was founded by Aeneas. It was well-known throughout the Mediterranean area in the ancient age, and an important cult was celebrated in it. Erice hosts important scientific meetings at the "Ettore Maiorana" center, organised by the controversial astrophysicist Antonino Zichichi.
It is 15 Km away from Pousada Noir, and it is reachable in 20 minutes by car, or by cableway from Trapani (more or less 10 minutes). For further information
Egadi Islands
For the Greeks those ancient "reefs" represented the outer limits of the known world, for the Phoenicians and the Carthaginians they were important commercial bases, whereas for the Romans they represented the defence bulwark against Amilcare and Annibale Barca armies. And the story goes on with the Arabs, the Normans and the Spanish, whose traces can be found in the surnames of the islanders.
The first and biggest island of the archipelago is Favignana, which has almost a butterfly shape. The ancients used to call it “ Favonia”, because of the wind which always blows there. The island is a microcosm to discover, with the old “Tonnara Florio” plants, the isolated “Saint Caterina” fortress, and the Cathedral square, the vital center of the island, both for islanders and tourists. And how could we forget to talk about its old tuff quarries, its inlets, like the wonderful Cala Rossa and Cala Azzurra with their crystal clear waters.
Just a bit over there, there is Levanzo, the smallest island of the archipelago (just 10 kmq), and also the closest to the port of Trapani. Characteristic are its little white houses grouped near the little port full of coloured fishing boats. Levanzo is a a strip of land which preserves some among the oldest vestiges of human presence in Sicily. The rupestrian figures of men and animals painted and scratched on the walls of Genovese Cave, bring us back up to the Mesolithic, with its obscure rites, and its mysterious and wild life.
Marettimo, the farthest and the most rocky of the three islands, is very silent and peaceful. There you can spend your days at the sea or walking along its paths bordered by luxuriant vegetation. As well as Levanzo, Marettimo is the ideal place for diving lovers, thanks to the different kind of seabeds which surround the island, and above all thanks to the hundreds of caves present along the coast.
The islands are easily reachable from Trapani port in 20 minutes by hydrofoil (Levanzo), 40 minutes (Favignana) 75 minutes (Marettimo). For further information
San Vito Lo Capo
Red ground, coral beach, blue sea and very good food, San Vito is also very famous thanks to the fish Cous Cous. San Vito Lo Capo is one of the last paradise of Italiy.
The municipality of San Vito Lo Capo was born in the late eighteenth century in the territory which was of Erice. It is located at the bottom of Mount Monaco, in the bright bay between Capo San Vito and Punta Solanto. In the numerous natural hollows it is possible to find a lot of traces of the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic age. In fact once those hollows were houses with view on the sea. Envelopped in the mistery is the existence of an old small village called Conturrana. It was a huge cliff which detached from the mountain and it is located 500 feets away from the shore. In this place probably in the late fifth century there was a little village. Nowadays the centre of the town is an imposing church the Sanctuary of San Vito. Once this church had a defensive function against the corsairs. Up to 30 or 40 years ago there was just a few fisherman houses, while now San Vito Lo Capo is a typical nice Mediterranean town.
It is 50 Km away from Pousada Noir, and it is reachable in 45 minutes by car. For further information
Saline Nature Reserve
The first who installed the basins for salt picking were the Phoenicians about 3000 years ago. Then comes the windmills and the first half-industrial works. Now it is a magical place, which offers amazing sunsets, among the most beatiful of the world.
The reserve includes a coastline extended almost a thousand hectares, divided into Zone A, the reserve area (707 ha), and Zone B of Pre-Reserve (278.75 ha), on the border between the municipalities of Trapani and Paceco. The environment of salt, highly salty, hosts numerous shrubs or herbaceous species which adapted themselves to the extreme environmental conditions of this area. The area also has a particular interest on the ornithological point of view, because it is a stop on the route of migration towards Africa. Considering both the nesting species wintering those who were surveyed 196 different species of birds.
Distanza da Bed & Breakfast Pousada Noir: circa 10 km, raggiungibile in circa 15/20 minuti. For further information
Mothia and the Stagnone, the places of the ancient Carthage
The biggest and most important Phoenician colony in Sicily, in the middle of a charming lagoon area which also has an important naturalistic interest.
Mothia was founded at the end of VII century B.C. on the island of San Pantaleo, located in the centre of a large lagoon, known today as 'Stagnone'. Thanks to its location, particularly favourable to maritime trade, Mothia soon became one of the most prosperous Western Phoenician colonies. The more outstanding public works date back to the second half of VI century B.C., namely the fortifications, a submerged road which was used to link the island to the mainland, near Birgi, the cothon (or drainage basin and harbour) and the main sanctuaries, in particular the tophet, where the burnt remains of offerings and sacrifices in honour of the god Baal Hammon were collected. Over one thousand carved steles where discovered here, undoubtedly the most significant evidence of Phoenician Punic sculpture. The ancient town’s industrial area features several omega-shaped furnaces, in every way similar to the more ancient pottery furnaces used in Phoenicia.
It is 25 Km away from Pousada Noir, and it is reachable in less than 40 minutes. For further information
Segesta, the immortal glory of Elyms
The ancient political capital of Elymian people, of undoubted Greek/Phoenician origins, which still dominate the top of mount Barbaro. It gives to the visitors a picturesque trip to the time of Greeks, and punic wars.
It is placed in the northwestern part of Sicily in the province of Trapani and in the municipality of Calatafimi-Segesta. The unfinished hexastyle doric temple of Segesta, (late 5th century BC) is built on a hilltop just outside the ancient city of Segesta with a commanding view of the surrounding area. It is one of the best-preserved Greek temple. The theater is located in a beautiful place, in the top of a mountain, from where a wide and amazing landscape can be seen.
It is 25 Km away from Pousada Noir, and it is reachable in 35 minutes by car (highway). For further information
Marsala, city of wine and ancient Punic capital
The city is full of history and charm, and it is known all over the world for its liqueur-like sweet wine, and for its tradition in cultivations and wine-making. In this city Garibaldi landed with its army for the unification of Italy, and it was also the Phoenician Capital in Sicily.
Marsala occupies the site of Lilybaeum, the principal stronghold of the Carthaginian in Sicily, founded by Himilco in 396 BC after the abandonment of Mothia. Neither Pyrrhus nor the Romans were able to reduce it by siege, but it was surrendered by the latter in 241 BC at the end of the First Punic War as a condition of the peace treaty. The modern town takes the shape of the Roman camp within the earlier city, one of the gates of which still existed in 1887. The main street (the Cassaro) perpetuates the name castrum.
It is 40 Km away from Pousada Noir, and it is reachable in 40/45 minutes. For further information
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