The town - Erice
Not far from Trapani, on the top of a lonely mountain, 751 mt high, it stands, grave and lonesome, protected by nature, a small and precious jewel of our province.
For centuries, the beauty of the views, the stillness of the place, and the mist that often makes it safe from prying eyes, has made Erice the preferred place for the studies of the scholars and for the prayers of the monks. Made of narrow and winding little streets, typically medieval arches, richly decorated courtyards and small shops, up to now it preserves the ancient fascination unchanging. It has the shape of a perfect equilateral triangle, crowned on two vertexes by the Castle of Venus, in the north-east, and by the Mother Church, in the south-west. In the middle, the Church of San Domenico (the Church of Saint Dominic) is today the seat of the prestigious International Centre of Scientific Culture “Ettore Maiorana”, lynch-pin of an intense activity of scientific research directed by professor Antonino Zichichi, who founded it in 1963. The town is also famous for the peculiar local pastry, the nuns has been devoting themselves to since the most ancient times. If you are in the neighbourhood, do not miss the feast dedicated to Maria Santissima di Custonaci (Most Holy Mary of Custonaci), protector of the town. In all Erice marshes celebrations begin during the week that precedes the last August Wednesday to then culminate in the procession winding along the streets of the town. On Good Friday it occurs the Procession of Misteri: under favour of the suggestive medieval surroundings, the statuary groups pass by through the town, representing the most important stages of the Passion of Christ. We can get to Erice by cableway
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