Erice is a small town at the extreme north-west corner of Sicily, on the top of a mountain (751 m. above sea level) about 12 km from the seaside and 96 km from Palermo (photos). According to mythology and Greek historians, it was founded in ~1000 B.C. by the people that left Troy after the city was defeated and destroyed by the Greeks.
(the map does not report the now completed direct motorway Messina-Palermo) Due to its peculiar orographic location, on the top of a mountain, with full control of the surrounding flat country and of a large portion of the sea, Erice was in the past famous both as a shrine dedicated to Astarte (the Phoenician Goddess of Love) or Aphrodite (Greek) or Venus (Roman) and as a powerful military stronghold. For centuries seamen seeing that there were people living on the top of the mountain above the clouds, concluded that only divinities could populate the high site; Greek historians write that travelers intending to pay a tribute to the Goddess of Love used to stop at the Trapani haven, and climb the mountain to meet the priestesses ( called hierodulai), in a typical pagan religious rite (!! ??). Even nowadays, couples on their wedding day ride up the mountain before their honeymoon trip, in what is considered a good luck tradition for love and happiness ever after. On a much more practical side, until late Middle Age, Kings and Emperors succeeding each other during the several dominations by foreigners in Sicily, used to control the zone by building fortresses and placing garrisons and soldiers on the top of the mountain. Because of its long history, the town has an exceptional number of palaces and churches, as well as convents and cloisters. Erice - in comparison to the surrounding country - appears to be a privileged site in western Sicily: over the centuries wealth, coupled with culture, love for fine arts and modern architectural solutions, result ed in a unique and well known attraction for visitors. This, together with the town's isolation and much cooler climate ( in comparison with the traditionally warm, and sometimes unbearably hot Sicilian weather) makes Erice one of the most appropriate location for high level scientific meetings discussing the achievements of modern research.
A recent article on Erice and its surroundings is available by clicking on www.theatlantic.com/issues/2002/12/prose.htm More on Erice history and food can be found here: http://www.msadventuresinitaly.com/blog/2007/11/05/erice-sicily-and-le-genovesi/ |
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