Erice and Favignana

 

Erice
Erice is a perfect place to visit for a day trip while exploring Sicily. It is known for its deep history, windy weather, and local folklore.
To get to Erice you first have to arrive at the city port, called Trapani. From there you can take a cable car up to the town, due to its high elevation. 

 

 

 

 

Erice is known for its numerous churches, indeed it was known as the city with a hundred churches. Visitors can find exceptional regional ceramics and decorative works, as they are seen as definitive for the entire Sicilian region. Beautiful, highly decorated ceramic heads line the town’s ceramic shops throughout the streets, as the legend of the head is a compelling story that has been told for thousands of years. 

 

 


 

We decided to purchase a head ourselves, and were nervous about how it would be transported back down the mountain. A donkey took our head back to the city port for us, and it was mailed safely back to Los Angeles. It sits in our home today!

 

 

 

 

The legend surrounding the head varies depending on who is telling it, as some tell it, was that the head belonged to a man who was the servant of a very wealthy woman in town. She fell in love with him as he worked for her, and she couldn’t bear the fact that he had his own family elsewhere, away from her. In turn, she chopped off his head. The head was supposedly buried under Erice’s main church, bringing good fortune to the entire area. The folks of Erice insist you cannot just have one of these ceramic heads in your home, as you must have several to really receive the magic that comes from them.

 

 

 

 

We visited the town’s main church and bell tower, the highest point in Erice. The wind could almost knock you off your feet, and climbing to the very top of the tower was just as challenging as it was beautiful. 

 

 

 

 

Of course, many pastries, gelato, and delicious food and aperitifs were to be had on our day trip. Every aspect of Sicilian cuisine is not to be forgotten or missed, regardless of the town you’re in. 

 

 



 

Erice day trip:

 

Ceramic store
L'artigianato di Dorotea "Ceramica"
Via Vittorio Emanuele, 44, 91016 Erice TP, Italy
+39 0923 869740
This is the  place where they sell the incredible Sicilian ceramics from the region. The testa di Moro, the head vases and other typical beautiful decorative works. 

 

Pastries
https://goo.gl/maps/acWGnKe7DZBde6Zh6 Caffè pasticceria michele
Via Vittorio Emanuele, 111, 91016 Erice TP, Italy

 

Monastery 
https://goo.gl/maps/V63qKw7R9tJjz7H29 Monastery San Salvador
Via Vittorio Emanuele, 28, 91016 Erice TP, Italy

 

The Castle and Bell Tower
https://goo.gl/maps/rzrdud3R4VoSS8Y67 Torre campanaria del Duomo dell'Assunta
Piazza Madrice, 91016 Erice TP, Italy
+39 0923 869123

 

Aperitivo 
Via Vittorio Emanuele, 28, 91016 Erice TP, Italy
+39 0923 869142

 

Cable car 
https://goo.gl/maps/dWkdjvvL2H8nBYKw8 Cable Car ERICE
Via Capua, 4, 91016 Casa Santa TP, Italy
+39 0923 569306


 

 

 

 

Favignana

Favignana is an exciting place to just feel like a tourist. It's an island off the coast of Sicily that is also accessible from the city port of Trapani. In order to get there you must take a hydrofoil, which you are only able to do on days the water is calm. The day we decided to travel to Favignana we were told at the port that we could take the boat there today, but couldn’t come back until tomorrow. We decided to take our chances and still go to the island.

 



 

 

Favignana’s terrain is very flat, so bike rentals are everywhere and serve as the main form of transportation throughout the island. As soon as we docked, we found a room to book for the evening, then set out to explore the island on bikes. 

 


 

 

As always we indulged in magnificent food, gelato, and aperitifs as we traversed the island. We enjoyed a meal at a beautiful Piazza, where we were able to relax while Astrid could ride her bike around while still in our sight. This allowed magnificent independence for her and pleasant relaxation for us. 

 

 

 


Just before dinner in the middle of the piazza, a concert began in the streets with seemingly no notice. People emerged from their homes and businesses to take part in this communal event, it felt as if it were right out of a musical or play!



 

 

The next day we found this impeccable gourmet grocery where we were able to purchase the most incredible wine, champagne, and other delights. Favignana is historically known for its tuna in the region. The grocery reflected this, as we devoured an antipasti from there with multiple types of divine tunas and cheese from the region. It was absolutely amazing and not to be missed.


We were able to swim on the beach, eat and relax, and then we got back on the hydrofoil and landed back in Trapani. We wish we could have stayed longer, as we barely scratched the surface of this incredible island. Next time, we will spend a few weeks there if we can! 



 

 

Aperitivo in Piazza

Astrid could ride her bike from piazza to piazza and be independent while we enjoyed our aperitivo!


https://goo.gl/maps/FpBcQwgLvmhmjTwR8 La Tavernetta

Piazza Madrice, 61, 91023 Favignana TP, Italy

+39 327 199 2787


La Casa del Tonno- most amazing gourmet store to get  wine and beautiful food. 


https://goo.gl/maps/y56c6pKKcwHEuZZG9 La Casa Del Tonno

Via Roma, 12, 91023 Favignana TP, Italy

+39 324 608 9998



Church - outside this church while we were having our aperitivo we got to experience this fun art performance surprise concert performed by people of all ages. They had such a fun rapport and we were extremely charmed. 



https://goo.gl/maps/p7yBuXgfst68QwJ59 Chiesa Madre di Maria SS. Immacolata

Via Giuseppe Mazzini, 16, 91023 Favignana TP, Italy



An epic bike ride, sunken gardens protected from the wind 


https://goo.gl/maps/fifNS1xer4bvd1948 Dropped pin

Near Strada Comunale Costiera di Tramontana,91023 Favignana TP, Italy


Best Gelato on Favignana


https://goo.gl/maps/obm8Mxq9a2cnbv6z8 Gelateria Roma 16

Via Roma, 16, 91023 Favignana TP, Italy



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