Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
LA PROCESSIONE DEI MISTERI
Since the 18th century, the citizens of Trapani - represented by 20 traditional maestranze, or guilds - have begun
a four-day celebration of the Passion of Christ on the Tuesday before Easter Sunday by parading a remarkable,
life-sized wooden statue of the Virgin Mary through the town's streets. Over the course of the next three days,
nightly processions of the remaining Misteri (life-sized wooden statues) make their way through the old quarter
and port to a specially erected chapel in Piazza Lucatelli, where the icons are stored overnight. Each procession is
accompanied by crowds of locals and a Trapanese band, which plays dirges to the slow, steady beat of a drum.
The high point of the celebration is on Friday afternoon, when the 20 guilds emerge from the Chiesa del Pur-
gatorio and descend the steps of the church, carrying each of the statues, to begin the 1km-long procession up to
Via Giovanni Battista Fardella; the procession then returns to the church the following morning. The massive
crowds that gather to witness the slow march often reach a peak of delirious fervour that is matched only by that
of the Semana Santa parades in Seville, Spain.
To witness the procession, you'll need to book your accommodation well in advance. At other times, the fig-
ures are on display in the Chiesa del Purgatorio ( Click here ). For more information, check out
www.processionemisteritp.it (in Italian, Spanish and French only).
Chiesa del Purgatorio
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CHURCH
( 0923 56 28 82; Via San Francesco d'Assisi; voluntary donation requested; 7.30am-noon & 4-7pm Mon-Sat,
10am-noon & 4-7pm Sun) Just off the corso in the heart of the city, this church houses the im-
pressive 18th-century Misteri, 20 life-sized wooden effigies depicting the story of Christ's
Passion that take centre stage during the city's dramatic Easter Week processions every
year. Explanatory panels in English, Italian, French and German help visitors to under-
stand the story behind each figure.
Some of the statues are originals; others are copies of statues that were destroyed by
WWII Allied bombings or irreparably damaged after being dropped by their bearers dur-
ing a procession (the statues are heavy and unwieldy, and mishaps sometimes occur).
Each statue was commissioned and is now carried by members of a particular profes-
sion. For example, Jesus Before Herod was commissioned by the Millers and Bakers
Guild; Jesus Entombed , by the Pasta-Makers Guild; and The Whipping, by the Bricklayers
and Stonemasons Guild. One of the figures, The Ascent of Calvary , isn't claimed by a par-
ticular guild but is instead accompanied by the Trapanese people at large.
Museo Nazionale Pepoli
( 0923 55 32 69; Via Conte Pepoli 200; adult €6, EU citizen under 18 or 65+ free, EU citizen 18-25yr €3;
9am-1.30pm & 2.30-7.30pm Tue-Sat, 9am-12.30pm Sun; tours hourly 9am-noon & 2.30-6.30pm) In a former
Carmelite monastery, this museum houses the collection of Conte Pepoli, who devoted his
MUSEUM
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