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Home > Travel Italy > Italy Destinations > Erice
Erice
Italy, officially the Italian Republic or Repubblica Italiana, is a Southern European country comprising of the Po River valley, the Italian Peninsula and the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. It is shaped like a boot and for this reason Italians commonly call it lo Stivale, the boot or, due to its prevalent peninsular geographical nature, la Penisola, the Peninsula.
Erice is a historical city in the mountains close to Trapani in Sicily, Italy. Erice hosts important scientific meetings, organised by the Italian astrophysicist Antonio Zichichi. In the northeastern portion of the city there are the remains of ancient Elymian and Phoenician walls indicating different stages of settlement and occupation in antiquity. As of December 31, 2004 it had the population of 28,880 and area of 47 square kilometers.
There are two castles that remain in the city first, Pepoli Castle, which dates from Saracen times, and Venus Castle which dates from the Norman period, on top of the ancient Temple of Venus. The city overlooks the bay of Castellammare del Golfo on Sicily's northern coast, and the views are spectacular.The ancient name of Erice was Eryx.
There was a temple of Venus in Erice, where Venere Ericina was worshipped. According to legend, it was founded by Aeneas. It was well-known throughout the Mediterranean area in the ancient age, and an important cult was celebrated in it. In his book On the Nature of Animals, Aelian writes that animals chosen for sacrifice would voluntarily walk up to the altar to be killed. it is a very beautiful city.
The city owes its name to Eryx, mythical ruler of the Elimi. Hercules and Aeneas are also associated with ancient Erice. The Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Romans, in turn, conquered the city, which never developed a particularly strong Greek culture except for that of the medieval Byzantines of the Eastern Roman Empire. To the Saracens, Erice was an important foothold known as Gebel Hamed, which the Normans christened Monte San Giuliano, a name by which it was known until 1934, when it was given its older Latin nomenclature.
It can also be considered as the preeminent, historical and potential tourism destination that enjoys a very positive reputation with worldwide travelers to become one of the most visited places.
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