Our B&B here in Trapani is over a restaurant (and part of the same family business, I think). As guests of the “camere” part of the business, we get a discount from the menu prices, so we decided to eat there last night. The food was really good, we had more than we could eat, and it was the least expensive meal yet, according to the man who’s been paying. That and a good sleep meant my fatigue from yesterday had dissipated and the ride to Erice was on!
I had pesto alla trapanese and it was very tasty! Loaded with garlic, of course, which I noticed afterward. I had to try it because we’ve been re-watching Young Montalbano and a jar of this is what Adelina gives him hell for having in his kitchen when he first engages her. This didn’t come out of a jar, though!
Towering over the west of Sicily at 751m above sea level and often covered in its own personal cloud, Erice is a wonderfully preserved Mediaeval town offering the most breathtaking views and a palpable sense of history.
Originally an Elymian city (the Elymians were around before the Greeks ever set foot in Sicily) Erice, or Eryx as it was first called, was a town of no little importance and renown and is said to have attracted the likes Hercules and Aeneas…
…Other attractions include the sixty (yes 60!) churches including the Gothic Chiesa Madre (1314) and the Mediaeval Church of Saint John the Baptist. Otherwise the maze of cobbled Mediaeval streets are a pleasure to wander around and the views are stunning. On a cloudless day, the Egadi Islands off the coast of Trapani are vividly visible, rising from the sea like giant, motionless whales while to the west the panorama takes in vast swathes of eastern Sicily, the Tyrrhenian Sea and the coastline towards San Vito Lo Capo, Monte Cofano and the Gulf of Castellammare. [from the thinking traveller.com]
The ride up was challenging but enjoyable, the views were a bit misty (typical for this time of year, I think), and, although we walked around the village a bit, we didn’t visit any of the 60 churches. This being the off-season for Erice (the cableway is closed for annual maintenance), the village wasn’t busy and many shops and services were closed.
SR1 offered many scenic distractions from the effort of climbing. I rather like switchbacks that aren’t too steep.
We really enjoyed the views, though. It was interesting to see where we’d ridden yesterday and see the salt pans to the south of Trapani since we don’t plan to ride that way. After a restorative snack, we zoomed back down by a steeper, more scenic road, which had even less traffic.
I should add a plug here for MaiorBike, the go-to bike shop in Trapani, apparently. We dropped in on our way out ti ride up to Erice and they were very helpful in finding me a tail light to replace the one that bounced off somewhere in Palermo. Because of the size of my bike and my rack and panniers, fitting a tail light is challenging, to say the least. But they came through!
Jacquie GaudetTo Scott AndersonWe did. I’m sure glad we didn’t do it loaded though—except with a bunch of warm layers for the top and the descent. Reply to this comment 1 year ago
