Erice & Segesta
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Port
Palermo, Sicily, Italy
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Activity Level
Strenuous
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Excursion Type
All
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Wheelchair Accessible
No
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Starting At
$239.95
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Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
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Duration
Approximately 8 Hours
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Meals Included
Meals included
Drive approximately one hour through the countryside of Sicily on a road that ascends through pine woods with fine views of Trapani and the Egadi Islands. The last stretch of your journey will be on foot from the coach parking area.
A great deal of Norman influence is apparent in Erice, where a panoramic hilltop position offers views of Trapani, the sea and the Egadi Islands. Stone buildings, towers and fortifications rest among the lovely English-style gardens scattered throughout the town.
After a guided walk through Erice, you will have some free time to explore further on your own before enjoying your lunch.
Continue your excursion with an hour-long drive to Segesta. Splendidly situated on the vast green hillside of Monte Barbaro, the archaeological site of Segesta is dominated by a fine Doric temple standing in stark isolation. This strategic location overlooks a vast territory. Only a few traces of the ancient town remain -- ruins of square towers, a gate, and a miraculously intact temple. The latter is a purest Doric-style hexastyle peripteros. It has stood for the last 2,400 years, solemn and imposing, in a deserted landscape that only serves to underscore the grandeur of the structure itself. Scholars still debate the temple's function and why it was left unfinished. One hypothesis is that it was built as a sacred area where religious rituals would be performed. Others believe the temple construction was never completed because war broke out with neighboring settlements.
Notes:
Wear comfortable walking shoes. Use of an audio headset (included) will enhance your tour experience.