Erice, encircled by medieval walls, has maintained its old physiognomy in the narrow winding alleys. Among the numerous church of major artistic interest there is the Parish Church, or Assunta, built in 1314, opposite which there is an imposing bell tower crowned by merlons, perhaps originally a lookout tower.
The Castle of Venus stands on an isolated cliff at the south-eastern corner of the peak of Mount Erice and was built in the Norman epoch, in the place of a temple dedicated to the cult of the goddess Venus. The entrance portal, framed by an ogival arch, is adorned with the coat-of-arms of the Hasburgs of Spain and surmounted by a mullioned window. From the promontory on which the castle stands there is a magnificent panorama of the Trapani territory, from the mountains to the sea. Since the end of the 19th century the castle has belonged to the Council.
The Balio Gardens cover a big green space added in the 19th century by Count Agostino Pepoli, according to the taste of the day, with Mediterranean plants and thick boxwood hedges. The name derives from the bailus, a medieval official with the powers of a viceroy.
Sicilia Film Commission
Via Emanuele Notarbartolo 9 — 90141 Palermo
Phone: +39 091 7078008; +39 091 7078264; +39 091 7078133; +39 091 7078145
Email: filmcommission@regione.sicilia.it
