Sights in Western Sicily
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Monte Grande
The 836m volcano which dominates the centre of the island has a number of interesting sights, including the 24 cuddie (ancient craters of red volcanic rock) surrounding the main volcano. At the summit is the Stufa del Bagno di Arturo, a steaming natural sauna, and the milky white Specchio di Venere (Mirror of Venus), where the bodies beautiful (most famously a pregnant Madonna) come to wallow in the volcanic mud; the Stufa del Bagno di Arturo can get extremely hot, so beware.
Another of these milky turquoise lakes, much bigger in size and more accessible, is the Bagno dell'Aqua (Lago di Venere), which can be viewed from the ancient village of Bugeber. In August horse race…
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Museo Archeologico Baglio Anselmi
Marsala’s finest treasure is the partially reconstructed remains of a Carthaginian liburna (warship) in the Museo Archeologico Baglio Anselmi. Sunk off the Egadi Islands during the first of the Punic Wars nearly 3000 years ago, the ship’s bare bones are the only remaining physical evidence of the Phoenicians’ seafaring superiority in the 3rd century BC. The ship resonates with history – especially if you see it after you visit the excavations on San Pantaleo – giving a glimpse of a civilisation that was extinguished by the Romans.
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Museo Nazionale Pepoli
Adjacent to the Santuario dell’Annunziata, in a former Carmelite monastery, is the Museo Nazionale Pepoli. It houses the collection of Conte Pepoli, who made it his business to salvage much of Trapani’s local arts and crafts, not least the garish coral carvings – once all the rage in Europe before the banks of coral off Trapani were decimated. The museum also has a good collection of Gagini sculptures, silverwork, archaeological artefacts and religious artwork.
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Castello Barabacane
Pantelleria is less a place to see than to experience. Aside from the 16th-century Castello Barabacane, at the end of the harbour, there is little of interest in Pantelleria town - it was flattened during WWII and rebuilt with modern, cube-shaped houses. The other main towns are Gadir (the prettiest of the towns), Rekale (in the remote south of the island) and Scauri (the island's second port). You can take in all the villages during a day's drive.
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Palazzo Riccio di Morana
Although the narrow network of streets in Trapani's historic centre is Moorish, the city takes most of its character from the fabulous 18th-century baroque of the Spanish period. A catalogue of examples can be found down the pedestrian Via Garibaldi, most notably the Palazzo Riccio di Morana and Palazzo Fardelle Fontana. The best time to walk down here is in the early evening, when the passeggiata (stroll) is in full swing.
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Museo di Preistoria e del Mare
The Museo di Preistoria e del Mare is located at the tip of the promontory in the Spanish fortress Torre di Ligny. It houses a collection of prehistoric artefacts and medieval objects recovered from shipwrecks off the coast. From the top of the tower there are great views over the town. Highlights are Titian's San Francesco con Stigmata (St Francis with Stigmata) and the Pietà by Roberto di Oderiso.
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Complesso Monumentale San Pietro
Housed in a beautiful restored building, the Complesso Monumentale San Pietro attracts locals and visitors alike. A former Benedictine monastery (dating from the 16th century), it has permanent exhibitions on Garibaldi, an archaeological section with an interesting fragment of a sculpture of Eros catching a ride on the back of a duck, and items from Lilibaeo's necropolis. Another area is dedicated to folk traditions.
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Chiesa Madre
Of the several churches and other monuments in this small, quiet town, the Chiesa Madre, just inside Porta Trapani, is probably the most interesting by virtue of its campanile (bell tower) with mullioned windows. Built in 1314, the church had its interior, which has a lovely vaulted ceiling, remodelled in the neo-Gothic style in 1865, but the 15th-century side chapels were conserved.
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Marsala Cathedral
At town's heart is the elegant Piazza della Repubblica, dominated by the imposing Marsala Cathedral. Although started in 1628, the church's façade wasn't completed until 1956 (courtesy of a cash donation by a returning emigrant). The cavernous interior, divided into three aisles highlighted by tall columns, contains a number of sculptures by the Gagini brothers but little else.
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Convento del Carmine
The restored Convento del Carmine is an attractive gallery. Parts of the building date from 1155, when the Carmelites first came to Marsala with Roger I's widow Adelaide. After years of neglect and a spell as a police barracks, the convent has been returned to its former glory, and is now an art gallery and a centre for civil weddings.
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Museo Civico Antonio Cordici
At the top of Corso Vittorio Emanuele is the heart of the city, and the place where you'll find the Museo Civico Antonio Cordici. The museum houses finds from the town's necropolis, including a 4th-century head of Venus. The other piece worth seeing is an elegant Annunciation by Antonello Gagini.
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Chiesa del Purgatorio
Just off the Corso Vittorio Emanuele, south along Via Generale Dom Giglio, is the Chiesa del Purgatorio, which houses the impressive 18th-century Misteri, 20 life-sized wooden effigies depicting the story of Christ’s Passion (used in I Misteri).
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Santuario dell’Annunziata
Trapani’s major sight is the 14th-century Santuario dell’Annunziata, 4km east of the centre. The Cappella della Madonna, behind the high altar, contains the venerated Madonna di Trapani, thought to have been carved by Nino Pisano.
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Castello di Venere
The Norman Castello di Venere was built in the 12th and 13th centuries over the Temple of Venus where all that debauchery was taking place. The castle now houses the town’s most exclusive hotel, Torri Pepoli.
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Chiesa di Santa Maria del Gesù
The Catalan-Gothic Chiesa di Santa Maria del Gesù houses the exquisite Madonna degli Angeli (Madonna of the Angels), a glazed terracotta statue by Andrea della Robbia.
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Villa Cavallotti
If you're travelling with small children, they might enjoy the Villa Cavallotti, a large park just outside Porta Nuova that has a playground and acres of space for a relaxing walk.
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Chiesa di Sant'Agostino
Further west, on Piazzetta Saturno, is the 14th-century Chiesa di Sant'Agostino, its austerity relieved only by its fine Gothic rose window and portal.
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Cine Impero
On the western edge of Piazza della Vittoria is the Cine Impero, a marvellous example of Italian futurist architecture popular during the Fascist era.
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Palazzo Comunale
On the eastern side of the main square is the arcaded Palazzo Comunale, formerly known as the Palazzo Senatorio (Senatorial Palace).
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Museo degli Arazzi Fiammingi
The Museo degli Arazzi Fiammingi displays eight 16th-century Flemish tapestries woven for Spanish king Philip II.
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Cattedrale di San Lorenzo
The huge Cattedrale di San Lorenzo has a baroque facade and stuccoed interior.
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Whitaker Museum
The island San Pantaleo (5km north of Marsala) was bought in 1888 by the amateur archaeologist Joseph Whitaker, who spent decades excavating and assembling the unique collection of Phoenician artefacts that now appear in the Whitaker Museum. The museum’s main treasure is Il Giovinetto di Mozia, a marble statue of a young man in a pleated robe suggesting Carthaginian influences.
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Torre di Re Federico
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Stufa del Bagno di Arturo
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Palazzo Senatorio
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