We left Motya and set off to Erice. The road was once again narrow and twisting, and the drive was very scenic as we climbed up to Erice, which is a walled mountain town about 750 metres above sea level. The road climbs up the mountain in a series of extremely tight bus driver testing hairpin bends. I'm far from sure I'd want to be driving a car that met our bus on the road, it took up most of the space! There would have been some wonderful panoramic views on the way up, but it was raining very hard and the countryside was shrouded in mist.
We arrived in the pouring rain, so my photos are nearly all taken through the torrents and the mists and had to be taken quickly so as to keep the camera as dry as possible.
The town was founded by the Elymians, a people who claimed descent from the Trojans. It was known to the ancient world as Eryx, and is supposed to be the place where Dedalus landed when he escaped from Crete. There has always been a shrine here, originally to Aphrodite. The town was successively taken in turn by Carthaginians, Romans, Arabs and Normans, and the last named have given it the medieval atmosphere.
We entered through the Norman gate, into a little medieval town with steep narrow streets paved in square patterns of slabs and cobbles.
We made immediately for the Chiesa Madra (mother church), dating from 1314, though the Gothic entrance was added later, and much of the structure had to be re-built after a fire in the nineteenth century; the interior then became neo-gothic. The plaster carving is quite remarkable and very white, with mad barley-sugar twists making the ribs of the roof and looking like some mad neo-gothic wedding cake.
There are a number of interesting things to see in the church, including a tablet which lists all the processions that were organised to make some specific request. Often, it was to pray for rain. Several times, it was to pray for help after an earthquake. And a number of other times, it was to request help against the plague.
Beside the church is a stout lookout tower, from which you can apparently have wonderful views, even across to the coast of Africa on a clear day.
The current tower is Norman, but apparently there has been a lookout tower here from earliest times. Unfortunately, there was so much mist and rain it was doubtful whether you could even have seen the town from the top of the tower, so nobody bothered to climb it.
We climbed the steep main street to a restaurant where we were able to taste (and buy) cakes made with marzipan before having some lunch. We wanted to look at some of the churches, but needed to wait until the rain was a bit less torrential. Once it was slightly less heavy, we had a quick look at what had been the monastery of SS Salvatore. The building was originally a palace belonging to an important family in the 13th century, which was later donated to the Benedictine order. I fond it rather cold and depressing, but that could have been because of the heavy rain.
We slithered further down the hill and looked in at the church of San Martino. It was built by Roger the Norman - I can't find a date, so possibly 11th or 12th century. It was re-built in the 17th century. It has become the centre for wooden art works that don't have a home elsewhere. The most spectacular is the one of St Martin and the Pauper, which is 16th century.
The church itself, though very plain outside, is Baroque inside, with a wonderful painted ceiling.
We had very little time in Erice, since we were heading for Segesta, which might close early because it is no longer high season. So we hastened back to the bus which made its way down the hill again. The rain had at long last stopped, so we were able to have a good view down the hill as the bus negotiated the hairpin bends. The view certainly is spectacular
Segesta is another town founded by the Elymians. We knew we were close to it when we had a sudden view of the temple on the skyline above us, but we started at the Acropolis - the temple is on a different hill. From the main entrance to the Acropolis is a long hard climb, so the site runs a shuttle bus, and we caught that. On the acropolis are some excavated remains of a later Roman Forum, and an even later church and a Norman Fort. But the thing we had come to see was the Greek theatre, set on top of a hill with terrific views across the fields down to the bay.
You may be able to see the motorway snaking away into the distance, but it doesn't spoil the view. Unfortunately, I don't have a wide angled lens, so I can't do justice to the panorama.
From the high up on the Acropolis you get a wonderful viwe of the temple on the adjoining hill.
You can see how complete it is. Restoration started on it in the 18th century, and it has always presented a romantic sight.
After we had seen the Acropolis, we went back to the shuttle bus, and it took us back down the hill again. The we climbed up the steep hillside to the temple. Although from a distance, the temple (started in 424 BC) looks almost complete, apart from the roof, it was, in fact, never finished. The columns are not fluted, the studs that were used to move the stones around have not been removed, and there was no building inside. But it has a wonderful majestic atmosphere.
We walked right round it, and our guide pointed out that behind it is the deep gorge of the River Scamander; it is on a commanding site. As it was drawing towards evening, there was hardly anybody else there, and this must be one of the best times to see any site.
We were soon back in the bus for the drive on to Palermo, where we are to stay for 4 nights. We took a 20 minute walk from our hotel to an amazing little restaurant where we ate outside in the square, and had a very late night.
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