Sicily - Italy - page 559

On Stromboli, my favorite place to stay is La Locanda del Barbablu
(Via Vittorio Emanuele, 17-19; % 090-986118; www.barbablu.it), with small but
comfortable rooms starting at

€€€

120.
WESTERN SICILY: TRAPANI PROVINCE
This is Muslim Sicily and, surprisingly, the home of the famously sweet Sicilian
Marsala wine. Unfortunately, it's become touristy and expensive in recent years,
but the byproduct is a full agenda of community activities, mostly centered in the
provincial capital of Trapani. During the summer there are outdoor plays, con-
certs, and fairs almost every weekend. This area makes a fun-filled day trip from
Palermo, but staying here isn't recommended unless you're willing to spend a lot
for very little. The region around Trapani is one of Sicily's richest, producing
coral, tuna, and salt. Don't even bother looking at Trapani until you get past the
concrete jungle on the outskirts and dive into the old historical center, which is a
fine mess of tangled streets that intersect with Via Garibaldi and the Corso
Vittorio Emanuele. Once here, don't miss the Cattedrale di San Lorenzo (Corso
Vittorio Emanuele; % 0923-432111), styled in classic 18th-century baroque.

€

Erice: Honeymooner Heaven
The city of Trapani is not the province's favorite city. That honor goes to
medieval Erice, which is known for its Carthaginian walls still covered with
Punic etchings and symbols, and for the lovely 14th-century Duomo,
Chiese Matrice, at its heart. The city was founded by early-Mediterranean
settlers known as the Elymians, who worshiped the goddess of fertility
(known as Astarte to the Elymni, Aphrodite to the Greeks, and Venus to
the Romans). Early Elymni art depicts her annual winter departure with a
random escort to her shrine in what is now El Kef in Tunisia. When she
returned, springtime began in Sicily. Tiny Erice, dramatically perched high
in the mountains (at 743m/2,437 ft.), is one of my favorite medieval
towns in Europe. It's overcrowded with tour buses during the day, so it's
important to stay overnight and have it to yourself. Superstitious Sicilians
who wish to honor the goddess of fertility honeymoon here even today.
Many couples who are hoping to begin a family book a room in one of the
small pensioni that line the narrow cobblestone streets. Romans practiced
a form of holy prostitution by keeping women of the night (and day) in
the city temple to service the local men. Erice is also deliciously famous
for its sweet cakes. They are replicated all across the island, but none are
as wonderfully decadent as the originals here. If you'd like your own
romantic tryst, try the reasonably priced Edelweiss (Cortile Padre
Vincenzo; % 0923-869158), where rooms start at € 82 per double, per
night.