itinerari - B&B Casale Belvedere, Valderice, Trapani

B&B Casale Belvedere

Via Veneto, 7 - Valderice - Trapani

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Comfort and relaxation between Erice and the sea

B&B Casale Belvedere

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A window on the Mediterranean ...

Itineraries and Surroundings

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The Casale Belvedere B&B is at the center of numerous itineraries to the most beautiful and prestigious destinations in western Sicily.

Bound Our B&B is therefore the ideal choice for those who want to spend an itinerant holiday without necessarily having to travel too many kilometers by car. Among the recommended destinations:

TRAPANI

The ancient Drepanum offers the visitor an enchanting historic center populated by ancient baronial palaces, city walls and watchtowers. Famous all over the world for its corals, tuna fishing, salt pans and windmills, Trapani today is also the Italian capital of sailing (it hosted the Luis Vuitton Cup acts and periodically hosts sailing events of international significance. ). The city, seen from the cable car that leads to Erice top, looks like a splendid sickle lying on the sea (from which it takes its name). It is also called "city between the two seas" as the coastal area north of the city is bathed by the Tyrrhenian Sea while the one to the west is lapped by the Mediterranean Sea.

Today Trapani offers the visitor the opportunity to enjoy its splendid baroque palaces, present numerous in the two most important arteries of the historic center, via Garibaldi and Corso Vittorio Emanuele. There are also numerous churches, evidence of the Gothic architecture- Sicilian religious of the fourteenth century. The Pepoli Museum is also worth a visit which, through the suggestive Renaissance cloister, introduces us to collections of paintings and sculptures, but also jewels and ceramics that testify to the technique achieved by the gold, wood and above all artisans A completely different but equally fascinating aspect is offered to us by the atmosphere of the fishing port which, with the adjacent fish market, offers the visitor a glimpse of authentic city life among the fresh fish stalls, the screams of vendors, kiosks with typical products on display. Nearby, the seventeenth-century Torre di Ligny which extends ta on the sea marks the extreme point of the city, and the Colombaia, an Aragonese castle that stands out in all its majesty to protect Trapani.

ERICE (Vetta)

Erice is famous all over the world for its enchanting village, breathtaking landscapes, sweets, typical ceramics and the scientific research center ' Ettore Maiorana '. According to Thucydides, it was founded by Trojan exiles, who fleeing in the Mediterranean, they would have settled on the top of the mountain, then giving life to the legendary people of the Elimi. Virgil mentions it in the Aeneid, with Aeneas touching it twice: the first for the death of his father Anchises, a year later for the games in According to historians, together with Segesta Erice was the most important city of the Elymians, in particular the religious capital. During the First Punic War, the Carthaginian general Amilcare ordered its fortification by transferring part of the Ericini people downstream ( hence the Drepanum foundation, today's Trapani).

In later times the Romans venerated ' Venus Ericina ', the first goddess of Roman mythology in the likeness of the Greek Aphrodite. The temple of Venus represented a point of reference for all the sailors and pilgrims of the Mediterranean, who, guided from the sacred fire that the handmaids of the goddess kept lit, they came to pay homage to Venus through the conjunction with her priestesses. On the remains of that temple was born in the 12th century the suggestive Castle of Venus, by

the Normans, which today represents one of the symbols of Erice: the splendid Mother Church, called Matrice, but also the other numerous churches, the small square, the cobbled streets and the artisan shops;
everything contributes to create a magical atmosphere and immerse the visitor in the Middle Ages. also known internationally for the Ettore Majorana Center for Scientific Culture, founded by the famous scientist Antonino Zichichi, which hosts world-renowned scholars on the occasion of allvegni that deal with medical, meteorological, technological, environmental emergencies. Today Erice is also an artisan and gastronomic tradition: Erice ceramics, carpets made on old looms, almond and Genoese sweets, prepared according to the convent recipes of the cloistered nuns, etc.

SEGESTA

Segesta impresses with the charm of its Doric temple and the evocative landscapes that can be enjoyed from the top of Monte Barbaro, where the visitor has the opportunity to go back in time, to the era of Magna Graecia and the Punic wars The original nucleus of the city, founded by the Elimi with the aim of making it their political capital, dates back to 500-600 BC. In addition to the temple, considered the best preserved of all antiquity, Segesta is famous for its suggestive theater: built on the top of a hill and placed in an extraordinary position, it allows you to wander with your gaze throughout the enchanting surrounding landscape, up to a glimpse of Castellamare del Golfo (the main commercial port of the Elimi) on the horizon .

The theater, which dates back to the second century BC, is still used today for classical and modern performances, among which it is worth mentioning those that take place at dawn during the summer, in which the sunlight rises before the eyes of the viewer represents one of the great suggestions that this place can offer.

EGADI ISLANDS

For the Greeks these ancient ' rocks 'represented the borders of the known world. For the Phoenicians and the Carthaginians, they were important trading bases. The Romans made them their defensive bulwark against the armies of Hamilcar and Hannibal Barca. And so away, passing by the Arabs, the Normans and the Spaniards, whose traces can still be found today in the surnames of the inhabitants. The Egadi islands, today as then, draw the profile of the horizon off the coast of Trapani, the last strip of Sicily before of the infinity of the Mediterranean. A few miles from the city of Trapani and easily reachable by hydrofoil or by boat (in less than thirty minutes by boat you can reach Levanzo), the Egadi archipelago offers unforgettable

suggestions. ù large have enchanting views and keep unchanged the ancient charm of the small fishing village.

The first, the largest, with its vague butterfly shape, is Favignana, which the ancients called Favonia. The island is a microcosm to discover, with the ancient establishments of the Tonnara Florio, the remote fortress of Santa Caterina, the Madrice square which pulsates with the daily life of the islanders is the soul of the guests' walks in the evening. And again the old tuff quarries and the coves bathed in blue and transparent water - such as the beautiful Cala Rossa and Cala Azzurra . Just a little further on, here is Levanzo, the smallest of the three as well as the closest to the port of Trapani, with its white houses nestled on the harbor full of placid colored goiters. . Levanzo, that is a small patch of land that holds some of the most ancient testimonies of human presence in Sicily: the rock figures of men and animals which, painted and graffitied on the walls of the Grotta del Genovese, refer us to the Mesolithic, his r the dark worlds, to his wild and mysterious life. Marettimo, the most distant and also the highest and most rocky, is a silent and peaceful island, where the days are spent by the sea or strolling along the paths bordered by overflowing vegetation. For the purity and the colors of its sea it has been defined in the most important international tourist guides 'the Pearl of the Mediterranean '. As well as Levanzo, it is ideal for diving enthusiasts, made adventurous by the variety of the seabed and the coast pierced by hundreds of caves.

RISERVA DI MONTE COFANO

Monte Cofano rises a few kilometers from the town of Custonaci, about halfway between Trapani and San Vito Lo Capo. 650 meters high, it laps the sea from three sides (north, west and east) and, for the its particular conformation, offers an enchanting panorama, helping to make the gulfs of Erice (to the west) and that of Macari (to the east) even more suggestive. Thanks to the nearby beach of Cornino and Cala Buguto it is also an appreciable destination bathing area, as well as the ideal place for trekking and walking enthusiasts. Along the main path that skirts the

mountain, it is possible to visit the tower of the tonnara di Cofano and a votive chapel dedicated to San Nicola. they find several caves and inlets, inhabited by man since prehistoric times.

The largest and most famous cave is called ' Mangiapane ', from the name of the family that lived there from 1800 until the end of the last world war. Since 1983 the inhabitants of Custonaci have been setting up houses inside in the caves a Living Nativity Scene (the so-called Living Nativity of Custonaci) and in the spring / summer the living museum of Peasant Civilization. The houses host shops, workshops, stables, kitchens, ovens, bedrooms, warehouses and so on. it was once used for rural life. There are many people who participate, young and old, reliving and reviving ancient traditions and crafts that unfortunately are disappearing.

SAN VITO LO CAPO

Red earth, coral beach, turquoise blue sea and lots of good food, famous above all for the Cous Cous di Pesce (and for the international event of the Cous Cous Fest). San Vito Lo Capo is one of the most popular Sicilian tourist

destinations famous and appreciated in Italy and abroad.The municipality of San Vito Lo Capo was born at the end of the eighteenth century, on the edge of the white bay located between Capo San Vito and Punta Solanto. Traces of the Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic times can be found in the numerous natural cavities, once houses, overlooking the sea. The existence of an ancient hamlet, Conturrana, an immense cliff 500 steps from the shore detached from the mountain, remains shrouded in mystery. Here, probably around the end of the IV century BC, there was a small inhabited center.

Today the town develops around the Sanctuary of San Vito, an ´ imposing church with ' military 'features due to its past defensive function against pirates. The very few fishermen's houses that populated it up to 30-40 years ago they gradually became more and more numerous, making today the ancient village a graceful typically Mediterranean village-village. San Vito is also and above all a long and beautiful beach, where the sea offers all the shades of blue and the white sand gives emotions worthy of a Caribbean landscape.

ZINGARO RESERVE

A dip in the typical nature of western Sicily: dwarf palms, red earth, Dolomite rocks and an intensely blue sea that delimits its contours. Lo Zingaro, the first reserve established in Sicily, is perhaps one of the few paradises natural terrestrial and marine remaining in Europe.The Zingaro

has an area of 1650 hectares, a coastal strip of about 7 km, formed by a rocky coast of Mesozoic limestone, interspersed with numerous coves and characterized by overhanging cliffs that from a maximum height of 913 meters (Monte Speziale) lead quickly to the sea. The reserve enchants for its rugged beauty, for the intense colors in every season, for the white coves set in a turquoise sea, the omnipresent dwarf palms, the luxuriant Mediterranean scrub, the tenacious olive trees and the majestic carob trees from where you can glimpse the harmonious shapes of the peasant houses.

The terrestrial reserve is closely linked to the sea, which is not only the geographical boundary but the constant background of the landscape and the indispensable complement of the naturalistic aspects. The coastal profile is an alternation of high rock walls that sink into the blue and inlets gently sloping towards the sea. Seen from the sea, the pebbly coves look like lighter niches hollowed out on the side of the Dolomite walls. The underwater landscape is a continuous succession of colors and shapes. Numerous and interesting are the tunnels and the submerged caves (the Colombaccio cave near the eastern limit with an entrance located at about 2 meters which extends into a room 30 meters wide. grotta della corvina near Punta Craperia, cave of Craperia, Mustia cave,

Ficarella cave). it is of particular interest for lovers of diving, trekking and cycling, thanks to the numerous paths that cross it far and wide.

SCOPELLO

Famous for the majestic stacks that dominate the landscape, the ancient trap, among the most fishy in all of Sicily) and the Saracen watchtower, Scopello offers the visitor an enchanting landscape, recently also used by some famous productions cinemas (Inspector Montalbano, Ocean Twelve, etc.)

Scopello, despite being mostly a seaside destination (which also hosts several diving centers), also offers a rich historical and cultural heritage, thanks to its conformity. à and to the history of the small main residential area, a splendid village of stone huts and a perfect example of an 18th century beam. This term indicates the typical farmhouses of the local countryside which, especially between the 18th and 19th centuries, represented a real microcosm which included the family of the landowner and the peasants who work his lands.

The baglio di Scopello currently houses a bar, a restaurant and some small shops of handicraft products where it is possible to buy the colorful local ceramics. In the surrounding area, an ancient oven is also worth a visit where it

is possible to taste the famous ' pane cunzato '. A few kilometers away, the Trapani coast is closed by the small town of Castellammare del Golfo. Its wide inlet is dominated by the magnificent castle on the sea, originally connected to the town by a drawbridge, around which it was originally The city has developed. Today all the Castellammarese activities revolve around the magnificent port which, born on the ancient Segesta emporium, is a spectacle to be enjoyed also from above, from the nearby rocky slopes.

SALINE RESERVE

Taking the coastal state road that from Trapani leads to Marsala, you cross the part of the western coast of Sicily that has been home to the salt pans for almost 3000 years. It was the Phoenicians who planted the first tanks for collecting salt, which in much more recent times were enriched by windmills for the first semi-industrial processes. The result is a surreal, almost extraterrestrial environment, capable of offering unrepeatable scenarios, extremely rare colors and shades, breathtaking sunsets among the most photographed in the world. Today a large part of the coast is subject to environmental protection, thanks to the establishment in 1995 of the regional nature reserve Saline di Trapani and Paceco, entrusted to the management of the Italian Association for WWF. The site constitutes one of the most important coastal wetlands of western Sicily.

Mainly occupied by traditionally cultivated salt marshes, with marshes and cultivated fields in marginal areas, its biological values are multiple, affecting faunal aspects (birds, fish, arthropods), floristic and vegetational aspects. To these values are added the landscape, ethno-anthropological, architectural, historical ones. The reserve is accessible on foot or by bicycle. At any time of the year (and in particular in autumn and spring) it is possible to see whole flocks of flamingos up close (including pink flamingos), specimens of knight of Italy and many other protected species.

MOZIA

Mozia was the largest and most important Phoenician colony in Sicily, in the center of a fascinating lagoon area of great naturalistic interest. Very important testimonies remain of the glorious past history: the famous cothon, a rare example of a Punic mooring basin; the submerged Punic road used until the 1960s by Marsala peasants who from the mainland reached the island for the grape harvest with wagons; the tophet, the sacred area for human sacrifices where it is still possible to see the urns; the necropolis, the mosaics, but above all the very elegant statue of the Giovinetto, the jewel of the Mozia museum. The island, extended for 45 hectares, has an almost circular shape and is located in the center of the stretch of sea known as Stagnone di Marsala (now a regional nature reserve), enclosed between the Sicilian coast north of Marsala and Isola Lunga.

There are two other islands, namely Santa Maria and the Scuola (named by Cicero in the Verrines, with modest traces of the Roman era). Access to the island is allowed only from the pier, which in addition to connecting Mozia to the mainland, also allows you to visit the other islands of the Stagnone. There is a ban on landing all over the island. The reserve is also easily navigable by canoe (which can be hired near the landing stage) or aboard flat-bottomed boats. Recently, the Stagnone reserve has become a small paradise for lovers of Kite Surf, a discipline that is popular all over the world and which, thanks to the ever-present winds and the shallow waters of the Stagnone, can be practiced all year round.

MARSALA

Known throughout the world for its fortified wine and for the great tradition in cultivation and winemaking, Marsala is a city rich in history and charm. It was the site of Garibaldi's landing in Sicily and, in pre-Roman times, the capital of the Phoenicians of Sicily (who founded it immediately after the destruction of Motya). The current name derives from the name Marsah el Ali, port of Ali. One of the main attractions of the city is certainly the archaeological museum of Baglio Anselmi, a former wine cellar that now houses the fragments of the Punic ship found in the waters off the coast and dating back to the third century BC. which allowed to understand the Phoenicians' naval construction technique. Also interesting is the part dedicated to the other finds (funerary objects, ceramics, jewels, tombstones and mosaics).

However, you cannot leave the city without having tasted Marsala wine by visiting one of the many wineries. Marsala was spread and promoted almost by chance, by an English businessman who in 1773 decided to export it all over the world in competition with Porto and Sherry. The secret of this D.O.C. with its 18 spirits, it is in the aging in oak barrels which can last even more than ten years depending on the denomination.

MAZARA DEL VALLO

Mazara, whose foundation, as for Marsala, dates back to the Phoenician-Punic era, is one of the major centers for deep-sea fishing in Italy. The visit of the historic center begins at the Cathedral, built by the Normans in the 11th century. on the remains of the Arab Grand Mosque. Continuing on, you reach the former Jesuit college, which has now become the city cultural center with an archaeological museum section and one dedicated to the contemporary artist Pietro Consagra of Mazara origin. Entering the oldest part of the city one gets the impression of being in an Arab kasbah: the urban fabric with its winding and often blind alleys still dates back to the times of the Arab domination of the 9th and 10th centuries. Do not miss a visit to the museum of the Dancing Satyr, housed in the church of Sant'Egidio (one of over thirty ancient churches that survive in the city of Mazara del Vallo, founded in 1424 by the brotherhood of the same name).

The statue of the dancing Satyr, found in the spring of 1998 during a fishing trip in the Sicilian channel, is a very rare example of Greek bronze statuary. Bent on his right side, with his arms extended forward, he is caught in the moment in which he is making a jump on the tip of his right foot while simultaneously lifting his left leg. The hair, rendered in thick locks underlined by thin incisions, is stirred by the pathos of the orgiastic dance, which upsets every rule of balance, giving the whole body an emphatic movement. The eyes are extraordinarily preserved, in alabaster limestone originally integrated with colored glass paste. The statue is just over 2 meters high and weighs 96 kg. According to the iconography of the satyr in ecstasy, already known from the 4th century, the statue had to hold the thyrsus, attribute of Dionysus with the right hand, while the left arm held a panther skin and left hand a cup of wine.

LA VALLE DEL BELICE

The Belice Valley is made up of the area within which the course of the Belice River extends. It is a very large and heterogeneous area, sadly known for the earthquake that devastated it in 1968, rich in archaeological sites (many still unexplored). It has seen the settlement of Sicani, Elimi, Phoenicians and Greeks of which imposing ruins and artifacts of all kinds remain. In this regard, the Grotta di Entella Integral Nature Reserve should be mentioned, which includes the interior of the Rocca di Entella (557 meters above sea level), an isolated relief just upstream from the confluence of the Belice Sinistro with the Belice Destro, and Lake Garcia, a reservoir artificial which over the years has become a reference point for the wintering of migratory birds. Common symbol of the Belice area, an example of tenacity and courage, is undoubtedly Gibellina, resurrected after the reconstruction.

Of the old city only the ruins remain. In the medieval historic center only the road layout has been recovered, which the artist Alberto Burri has reconstructed in the so-called "Cretto di Burri", a magnificent example of "land art" and an evocative setting for the "Orestiadi di Gibellina", cycles of classic theatrical representations famous all over the world for the high quality of the shows offered. Not far from Gibellina, there is Partanna, whose name derives from the Arabic word "barthamnah" (dark earth). To visit the Medieval Castle of the Grifeo Princes, which is one of the best preserved fortresses in Western Sicily. The municipality of Salemi is located further west, towards Trapani. It is characterized by its evocative historic center, clearly Islamic, and by the Norman castle, formed by two quadrangular towers and a high cylindrical tower. Salemi had a great moment of glory when, with Garibaldi, it was symbolically declared "the first capital of Italy

CAVE OF CUSA

The Cusa quarries are located halfway between Castelvetrano and Mazara del Vallo. Active since 600 BC until 409 BC they were an inexhaustible mine of raw materials, indispensable for the construction of the city of Selinunte, including temples. These are the quarries of antiquity among the most famous in the world. The Arabs called them ramuxara, but to us they are known as Cave di Cusa (from the name of the owner of the land in which they are located). Anyone who visits this evocative environment has the impression that the construction site is still in working order and that the works suspended in 409 BC. must resume at any moment. The quarries were in fact suddenly abandoned due to the war against the Carthaginians (allies of the Elimi of Segesta and Erice), who, taking the city of Selinunte by surprise, completely destroyed it.

SELINUNTE

The archaeological park of Selinunte is the largest and most impressive in Europe, extending for 1740 square km and including numerous temples, sanctuaries and altars. Founded towards the middle of the 7th century BC, Selinunte represents a cultural heritage of extraordinary importance, being in fact the last western bulwark of Magna Graecia and of the so-called "Western Greeks", as the settlers who landed in Sicily from 700 onwards were called. BC onwards. The city had a short life (about 200 years), during which its population grew to reach 25,000 units. By allying with Carthage to secure protection against the nearby Elymian city of Segesta, Selinunte hoped to be able to grow in the west and subdue the Elymians themselves.

But after the disastrous expedition of the Athenians to Sicily, the balance suddenly changed and Segesta, the first ally of Athens, managed to secure an alliance with the Carthaginians, who in turn "abandoned" Selinunte. Not having grasped all the signs of the change taking place, Selinunte invaded the Elimi territories, provoking the harsh reaction of Carthage, which besieged the city with an army of 100,000 men, destroying it completely Selinunte managed to recover and was subsequently rebuilt by Greek colonists and Punic. But in 250 BC Rome, after winning the first Punic war, destroyed it again and this time forever. Selinunte, also thanks to a partial reconstruction of its times, represents an incomparable glimpse of ancient Greece. Rich in temples, sanctuaries, fortifications and splendid carved metopes, among its countless artistic beauties, it also includes the colossal temple G, dedicated to Zeus, one of the most important and imposing of classical antiquity (measuring 113 m x 54 m). Visiting the archaeological area is like traveling back in time.