Erice

**Erice**
	Italian comune
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Instance of	commune of Italy;
Patron saint	Mary;
Location	Free Municipal Consortium of Trapani; Province of Trapani; Italy;
Capital	Erice;
Significant event	Siege of Eryx;
Population	26,089 (2023);
Area	47.34 km² (2011);
Elevation above sea level	751 ±1 m;
Replaces	Eryx;
	official website
	38° 02′ 15″ N, 12° 35′ 15″ E
Authority file
	Q192917; VIAF cluster ID: 137194282; GND ID: 4122576-4; Library of Congress authority ID: n79065332; IdRef ID: 117285552; J9U ID: 987007564235405171; OpenStreetMap relation ID: 39450
	Reasonator; Scholia; Wikidocumentaries; KML file; WikiShootMe; OpenStreetMap; Search depicted;

Deutsch: Erice ist ein Ort auf Sizilien in Italien.

English: Erice is a town in Sicily in Italy.

Italiano: Erice è una città in Sicilia in Italia.

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Views

Aerial view of the city
Urban fabric
View of the town from the Chiesa Matrice bell tower
View to Monte Cofano
View to Trapani
View to the salt pans of Trapani
Viewpoint at the Balio Towers

Elymian-Punic Walls

The Elymian-Punic Walls of Erice are defensive fortifications at the site of Eryx, a religious centre and city in pre-Roman Sicily, dating back to the 8th century BCE.

Ancient walls
Porta Spada entrance gate
Porta Carmine entrance gate
Postern Gate
Porta Trapani entrance gate
Wall construction

Castle of Venus

The Castle of Venus (Castello di Venere) is a medieval fortress that was built around the site of an ancient sanctuary of Venus Erycina at the summit of Monte Erice.

Aerial view
Dramatic setting
Norman architecture
Castle of Venus at night
Cliffside setting
Castle with Pepoli Turrent in foreground
Entrance to the castle
Approach
Medieval fortress
Fortress courtyard
Gothic architecture
inner yard, site of the ancient temple of Venus
Club UNESCO plaque

Balio Towers

The Balio Towers (Torri del Balio) are a group of medieval fortifications that once served as a key defensive outpost overlooking the surrounding countryside and the Strait of Sicily.

Aerial view
Balio Towers with Pepoli Turret (left) and Castle of Venus (background)
The Balio Towers
Watchtower
Architectural detail
View from Runzi forest

Pepoli Turret

The Pepoli Turret (Torretta Pepoli) is a small neo-Gothic structure built around 1870 in a Moorish revival style by Count Agostino Pepoli.

Setting
View of turret from Balio Gardens
The turret (foreground) and Castle of Venus
Pepoli Turret
Pepoli Turret
View from turret

Balio Gardens

The Balio Gardens (Giardino del Balio) are public gardens at the summit of Monte Erice. They take their name from the Bajulo, a magistrate who represented the sovereign authority following the Norman conquest of southern Italy.

The Parterre
Bust of Nunzio Nasi
Entrance staircase
View of city from gardens
Fountain of Venus and the Bee
Monument to the Fallen
The café in the Balio Gardens

Churches

Mother Church

The Mother Church of Erice (Chiesa Matrice, Chiesa Madrice or Real Duomo) is is the principal Roman Catholic church in Erice.

Chiaramontan Gothic façade
Church and bell tower
King Frederick III bell tower
Bell Tower
Gothic-style rose window
Entrance
Stone crosses in outer wall
Interior

Other churches

Erice has many old churches, monasteries, and oratories. These buildings reflect the town’s long religious history and evolving architectural styles.

Church of Saint Julian (Chiesa di San Giuliano)
Church of Saint Julian bell tower
Blackett Institute (formerly Church of the Dominican Preachers)
Church of San Cataldo
Church of Saint John the Baptist (Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista)
Confraternity Church of San Martino
Church of Saint Peter (Chiesa di San Pietro)
Church of Saint Albert (Chiesa di Sant'Alberto dei Bianchi)
Oratory of the Most Holy Sacrament (Oratorio del SS. Sacramento)
Church of Saint Francis of Assisi (Chiesa di San Francesco)
Saint Isidore’s Church and Sanctuary of Blessed Luigi (Chiesa di Sant’Isidoro)
Confraternity Church of Saint Ursula (Chiesa di Sant’Orsola, also known as Chiesa dell’Addolorata)
The Church of Saint Anthony the Abbot (Chiesa di Sant'Antonio Abate)