Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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 archaeological
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 wildflowers.
For overnight stays,
Sicilia Cuore Mio
( 092 44 60 77;
www.siciliacuoremio.it
; Via della Cittadella 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 buffet, or drive 15km
east to
Da Vittorio
( 092 57 83 81;
www.ristorantevittorio.it
;
meals €28-45)
in 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).
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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.
Once situated at the heart of a powerful trading network that stretched from Carthage to
Venice, Trapani's sickle-shaped spit of land hugs the precious harbour, nowadays busy
