Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The city's past is so remote that the names of the various temples have been forgotten
and they are now identified by the letters A to G, M and O. The most impressive,
Temple E
, has been partially rebuilt, its columns pieced together from their fragments with part of
its tympanum. Many of the carvings, particularly from
Temple C
, are now in the archae-
ological museum in Palermo. Their quality is on a par with the Parthenon marbles and
clearly demonstrates the high cultural levels reached by many Greek colonies in Sicily.
The ticket office and entrance to the
ruins
( 092 44 62 51;
www.selinunte.net
;
adult €6, EU
citizen 18-25yr €3, under 18yr or over 65yr free; 9am-6pm summer, 9am-4pm winter)
is located near
the eastern temples. Try to visit in spring when the surroundings are ablaze with wild-
flowers.
For overnight stays,
Sicilia Cuore Mio
( 092 44 60 77;
www.siciliacuoremio.it
;
Via della Cittad-
ella 44; d €68-95; )
is a lovely B&B with an upstairs terrace overlooking both the ruins
and the sea. Guests enjoy breakfast (including homemade jams,
cannoli
, and more) on a
shady patio bordered by olive trees. Escape the touristy and mediocre restaurants near the
ruins by heading for
Lido Zabbara
( 092 44 61 94; Via Pigafetta; buffet per person €12)
, a
beachfront place in nearby Marinella di Selinunte with good grilled fish and a varied buf-
Porto Palo, another great place to enjoy seafood, sunset and the sound of lapping waves.
Selinunte is midway between Agrigento and Trapani, about 10km south of the junction
of the A29 and SS115 near Castelvetrano.
Autoservizi Salemi
( 092 48 18 26;
www.autoservizisalemi.it
)
runs five to seven buses daily from Selinunte to Castelvetrano (€2,
25 to 35 minutes), where you can make onward bus connections to Agrigento (€8.30, two
hours), or train connections to Marsala (€3.95, 35 to 55 minutes), Trapani (€5.75, 1¼
hours) and Palermo (€7.65, 2½ hours).
TOP OF CHAPTER
Trapani
POP 70,600
The lively port city of Trapani makes a convenient base for exploring Sicily's western tip.
Its historic centre is filled with atmospheric pedestrian streets and some lovely churches
and baroque buildings, although the heavily developed outskirts are rather bleak. The sur-
rounding countryside is beautiful, ranging from the watery vastness of the coastal salt
ponds to the rugged mountainous shoreline north of town.
