Feeling like an ancient Greek in Selinunte, Sicily

Selinunte is one of the biggest archeological sites in Europe. The former name of the city was Selinon, which means wild parsley. It is located in the province of Trapani, on the south coast of western Sicily, on a high plateau about 30 meters above sea level – with a wonderful view of the Sicilian coastline.

It has been founded by Greek colonists from Megara Hyblaea which crossed Sicily around 650 b.C.
The Acropolis has been built on a steep rock slope of the coast for defense reasons.

The city center has been built above the acropolis, and offered accommodation for around 10‘000 inhabitants. 5 Temples have been built on the lower parts of the area – unfortunately only ruins are left over now. The few columns left are so impressive that one can easily imagine the incredible buildings of ancient times.

Furthermore, you can visit 2 Necropolises and further 3 Temples.

The biggest building is the Temple G, which has been dedicated to Zeus. It is 110 x 50 meters long.

The location is stunning: you can perfectly imagine how life could have been in Selinon in that era. Wonderful flowers are still growing in between big Aloe Vera plants that offer you some precious shadow. I immediately imagined myself sitting underneath this plants dressed with a Greek tunic, sipping on my drink, with a cool breeze from the sea, looking down to the golden beaches.

 

But back to real life: The huge archeological area is too big to visit completely by foot (it is an area of around 1 km).

You can buy a ticket for the buggies which bring you from the Acropolis to the Necropolis and the Antiquarium. It is a hop on and hop off system that gives you the freedom to be as fast or slow as you want – and if you arrive there on one of the hottest days of August around midday (like me), they have an extra cooling effect thanks to the wind. You just have to trust the drivers’ sporty driving-style! 😉

 

 

 

 

Venus lives in Sicily: Erice

“On the highest top a medieval village rises among bristly towers. It is the small village of Erice where once the most famous temple of the most famous goddess…Venus,… with its fortified walls, with its streets accurately paved”.

Roger Peyrefitte, descripion of Erice in 1952

“Sulla vetta più alta inciela una medievale borgata irta di torri. È il piccolo borgo di Erice, dominato una volta dal più famoso tempio della dea più famosa…Venere,… con la sua cinta fortificata, con le sue strade accuratamente selciate”.

Roger Peyrefitte su Erice nel 1952

Road that leads to Erice

This road brings you back in time – curve after curve – until you arrive to Erice.
Erice is a Medieval town, with only 512 people living in the city center. It is located at a hight of around 700 meters on Mount Erice, with a wonderful panoramic view of Sicily’s west coast, with Trapani and the Egadi islands.

When we first arrived to the top, the town was covered by a thick fog, which gave a somehow fascinating mystical look to the town.
It is a phenomenon that often takes place on Mount Erice and which led to many mythological histories about the town. Since prehistoric times, Erice has been connected to the goddess of fertility, love and beauty: to Venus. Some say it is because of the strong relationship between water (fog) and fertility.

Romantic Palermo

Piazza Pretoria is a Piazza in Palermo, the capital of Sicily.

It is located in the center of the old town just south of the Quattro Canti at Via Maqueda.
The 16^th century square is called after Palazzo Pretorio, the former court palace in Palermo. But this is just the official name: because of the nude statues, the Piazza has always been called “Piazza della Vergogna” (the square of shame). This is still how Palermitans call one of their most romantic Piazzas.