Day 36. Wednesday May 22nd 2024
Palermo to Erice, Sicily.
Saying goodbye to Palermo we headed off to Erice, a town atop Mount Erice with great views, about 1.5 hrs drive away.
It was hot early today so we had both windows open to catch the breeze 
. Some of the route was along the coast road. The colour of the sea was awesome and made me want to park up and walk straight in. This would never have happened but the thought was enough to satisfy me 
.
Once again we seemed to have timed our arrival with lunch break 
. In this town lane control is practically a free for all, so fun and games were had as we made our way to the car park.
To actually get to Erice you have a few options – drive up some of the way and then walk the rest; take a bus; or take 20 minutes ride in a cable car.
We decided to take the Cable Car , a new mode of transport for our trusty pooch. We parked at the bottom of the hill in Trapani, which is a huge town/city 
, lying at the base of the hill and spreading out to salt flats and the sea.
Meg was nervous but follows where we lead and got into the gondola without hesitation. The ascent is steep and as you can imagine, the views are amazing. Arriving at the end, we realised we actually weren’t yet at the top. The towns roads all lead up to the old castle , on shiny cobble and marble paths, which must be treacherous in the wet .
Luckily there were loads of photo opportunities which meant we had to stop lots of times .
As expected there are lots of churches and cathedrals with wonderful relief plaques overseeing huge entrances and doors.
There are a few shops, bars and restaurants here along with hotels and B&B’s. Quite a few of the attractions are ticket entry but there are lots of lovely churches that are open and free to walk in.
We stopped for drinks at one of only 3 refreshment establishments in the main Piazza. Maybe more open up during high season on this spot. There are more bars etc but tucked away in side roads.
Arriving at the top of the mount at Venus’ Castle we were mesmerised by the view! It was amazing. For lunch we had a take out sandwich of focaccia bread, mozzarella, prosciutto and pistachio nuts – toasted and french fries. Very nice 
. We also couldn’t remember the last time we had had french fries .
It doesn’t take long to walk around Erice, it’s rugged, quaint, old and quiet – like, does anyone actually live here? And it’s one of the ‘Italian prettiest villages’ . So make sure you pop it on your list for when you visit Sicily.
We didn’t fancy staying in the car park for the night so drove another 20 minutes or so to a new little Sosta by the salt flats. It’s a family run business called Sole Mare Sale and though there was a language barrier with some of them we managed to pitch for the night.
There are a few others here who you get to meet as there is a pleasant communal seating area, where we seemed to congregate with the family 
.
What a fab and friendly little stop 
.
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