Pised on a crag overlooking Trapani, Erice was once the seat of the cult of the fertility goddess Venus Erycina.
Her temple stood on the present site of the Norman castle, beyond the Villa Balio public gardens.
The ancient towns of Eryx was renamed Gebel-Hamed by the Arabs and then it became Monte San Giuliano under the Normans.
It was not until 1934 that Mussolini adopted the present name.
Erice is medieval throughout.

Sights at a glance:
· The Duomo;
· San Giovanni Battista;
· San Cataldo;
· Biblioteca-Museo Comunale Cordici