{"id":114945,"date":"2025-01-31T10:09:37","date_gmt":"2025-01-31T09:09:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trapaniwelcome.it\/archaeological-tourism\/"},"modified":"2025-02-07T07:31:31","modified_gmt":"2025-02-07T06:31:31","slug":"archaeological-tourism","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/trapaniwelcome.it\/en\/archaeological-tourism\/","title":{"rendered":"Archaeological Tourism"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Archaeological Tourism<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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The province of Trapani has been inhabited since very ancient times: the Elymians, Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans<\/u> have known this territory and decided to build their cities here. The position of our province in the Mediterranean, the mild climate, the amenity of the plains and plateaus, and the abundance of vegetation made this territory a perfect place for their settlement.
That is why you will find archaeological sites and excavations just about everywhere. <\/p>\n

Inhabited here were peoples of whom we know almost nothing but who left important traces of their past. These include the paintings in the Grotta del Genovese<\/strong> on Levanzo and the Sesi<\/strong> on Pantelleria, just to name the most important. Then there were the Elymians, who built Segesta and Erice.
There were the Phoenicians, who made the small island of Mothia<\/strong> an important trading port.
And shortly afterward came the Romans. Of the Roman presence and their struggle with the Carthaginians there is important evidence in Marsala.
And of course the Greeks could not be missed. The finest example of their passage here is Selinunte<\/strong>, the great and powerful city where eight great temples were erected<\/strong> with material from the Cave of Cusa<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSegesta archaeological area<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

The area in which Segesta once stood is now a large, multilayered archaeological site. Here, in fact, excavations have gradually uncovered the remains of the original Elymian settlement, the Hellenistic-Roman period, the Muslim settlement, the Norman-Swabian settlement, and the medieval settlement.
The Golden Age is related to the Elymians, of whom Segesta was the most important city. However, its appearance was strongly influenced by the culture and style of the Greeks.
The city stood on two hills, on top of Mount Barbaro.
The city walls enclose two acropolis (North and South). Next to the North acropolis stands the Theater. Outside the walls are the Temple, the Contrada Mango Sanctuary and the remains of a Hellenistic necropolis.
The area is only 4 km from Calatafimi. <\/p>\n

The archaeological zone of Segesta can be visited all year round.<\/strong>
In the summer period, admission is allowed from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
In the winter period from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Admission: 6 \u20ac
Reduced ( 18 years – 25 years): 2.50 \u20ac
Free for minors and those who are 65 years of age or older.
Ticket office: 0924 952356<\/p>\n

The Temple<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Temple of Segesta was erected on the top of an isolated hill between 430 and 420 BC. It was built in the Doric style, in imitation of the great Greek temples, although some details reveal a different origin. The most obvious difference is that Segesta lacks the cella-the beating heart of the Greek temple.
The absence of the cella and roof in the theater at Segesta have long caused scholars to debate. Some argue that the temple simply remained incomplete. Others, however, justify Segesta’s peculiarity with a political and cultural reason: the Segestans were in fact not Greeks, like their enemies in Selinunte, but Elymians. They therefore had a different religion and different customs. It is therefore possible that they built a temple, in Greek style and with Greek workmen, to compete with their bitter enemies but that, in reality, it was only a matter of appearances. Of the Elymians’ use of the temple there is no record.
The peristyle consists of 14 columns on the side and 6 in front. There are no decorations, nor can the temple be described as grand, when compared to the other temples of Magna. However, it is equally spectacular, especially since it can still be admired in its entirety.
The temple alone occupies an entire hill and is perfectly visible even from a distance.
To get there, you have to leave your vehicles a little further down and walk a short distance uphill.<\/p>\n

The theater of Segesta<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the close of the 3rd cent. b. C., the inhabitants of Segesta built their theater on the highest peak of Mount Barbaro, on a site, behind the agora, that was already the site of a place of worship many centuries earlier.
Facing north toward the Gulf of Castellammare, it offers as its backdrop the splendid panorama of hills as far as the eye can see and a glimpse of the sea.
Built according to the dictates of Greek-Hellenistic architecture, with blocks of local limestone, it deviates from the typical structure of Greek theaters because the cavea does not rest directly on the rock but was specially built and is supported by retaining walls.
It consists of two entrances, slightly offset from the main axis of the building and is capable of holding about 4,000 people.<\/p>\n

The cavea<\/strong><\/p>\n

The cavea is where spectators sat and still sit.
That of the theater at Segesta is 63 m in diameter and is divided in two by a central corridor, the diazoma. This results in two sections: one lower and one higher up. The first has 21 rows of seats divided by 6 ladders into 7 small wedges of varying sizes, the kerkides,.
The second was instead equipped with seats with backs. Only a few traces remain, however, of the tiers of the summa cavea.
Recent research has shown the existence also of a sector of tiers higher up, between the two entrances, which was partially reused in the Muslim necropolis (first half of the 12th century).
To the west the theater is bordered by a paved road that leads up to a natural cave, in which a sacred spring is located. Used during the Bronze Age, it was later incorporated into the retaining wall of the cavea. <\/p>\n

The orchestra<\/strong><\/p>\n

Semicircular in shape, it is where the choir moves. At Segesta it has a diameter of 18.4 m. Entrance is allowed through two openings, the parodoi, located on either side of the semicircle, orthogonally to the central axis.
As in the theater at Syracuse, the one at Segesta has underground corridors that were used for the passage of actors. <\/p>\n

The scene<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, not much remains: a few rows of blocks are what we can still see of a two-story building in Doric and Ionic styles. Two advanced side bodies are decorated with satyrs in high relief. <\/p>\n

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The Selinunte Archaeological Park<\/strong> is one of the most extensive and important archaeological areas inEurope<\/strong>. Here the Doric stylehas<\/strong>reached one of its highest expressions, while showing local influences<\/strong> that enrich its architectural history. <\/p>\n

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Opening Hours and Tickets<\/strong><\/p>\n

\ud83d\udd58 Admission hours:<\/strong><\/p>\n