Erice Photo | TrekEarth

Photographer’s Note

so I guess one can not pass this area without visiting this fantastic hilltop town even if it is a classic tourist trap in all senses.

Erice is located on top of Mount Erice, at around 750m above sea level, overlooking the city of Trapani, the low western coast towards Marsala, the dramatic Punta del Saraceno and Capo san Vito to the north-east, and the Aegadian Islands on Sicily's north-western coast, providing spectacular views.

he ancient name of Erice was Eryx, and its foundation was associated with the eponymous Greek hero Eryx. It was not a Greek colony, but was largely Hellenized. It was destroyed in the First Punic War by the Carthaginians, and from then on declined in importance.
[edit]Main sights

In the northeastern portion of the city there are the remains of ancient Elymian and Phoenician walls indicating different stages of settlement and occupation in antiquity.
There are two castles that remain in the city: Pepoli Castle, which dates from Saracen times, and the Venus Castle, dating from the Norman period, built on top of the ancient Temple of Venus, where Venus Ericina was worshipped. According to legend, the temple was founded by Aeneas. It was well-known throughout the Mediterranean area in the ancient age, and an important cult was celebrated in it. In his book On the Nature of Animals, Aelian writes that animals chosen for sacrifice would voluntarily walk up to the altar to be killed.
The Gondola lift chairs up to the top of Erice are closed from mid January to mid March.

leo61, holmertz, ellelloo, Kielia has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

gabrielpat (6553) 2008-11-19 12:39

hi Anders,
a great point of view!
the old castle is well situated to give a feeling of deepness,like controling the valley.
patrick.

dta (6049) 2008-11-19 12:43

hello Anders ,
What a fantastic plunging view onn this fabulous landscape ! Dramatic dark atmsphere ! A fine composition , too with the beautiful castle in the fore ground , the sinuous road , the village .
Very good work
Regards
Denis

vinicio (22428) 2008-11-19 13:00

Dark image but splendid view, compliments Anders.
Your series about your trip in Sicily is really good, well done.
Ciao
Vinicio

hifimusicdai (19) 2008-11-19 15:07

Very nice. A lot of interesting elements all knitted together in a harmonious way. It is a little dark but this also adds atmosphere. Good job.
Regards David

leo61 (43686) 2008-11-19 21:36

Hi Anders!
What a great POV.It`s a nice view down at the castle and the city in the distance.This curvy dirtroad looks great.
Regards,leo

holmertz (9939) 2008-11-20 8:08

Hej Anders,
Ooops, this view is steep. Well, as long as you keep the souvenir shops and the hamburger bars behind you, there is nothing wrong with tourist traps like this. The castle and the serpentine road look quite spectacular.
Hälsningar,
Gert

ellelloo (4929) 2008-11-20 10:04

Hejsan Anders,
Although shot in a grey day this shot is very attractive with its excellent POV, good composition and nice sense of wideness and depth. The serpentine road is a nice detail.
Hälsningar,
Lasse

BennyV (4903) 2008-11-20 11:24

Hi Anders,

Not the best of days for pictures, but you came up with a really good one. Good composition (pov) and fine natural colours.

Benny

Gessle (70) 2008-11-20 11:39

Hejsan Anders!
What a view!!!
Fantastic castle - where did you go to do it??
Maybe it could be a bit brighter, but I suppose the weather was not very friendly for photographers...
Great photo indeed!
Greetings, Ana

Kielia (8727) 2008-11-21 23:42

Hej Anders,
excellent note accompanying a very fascinating capture of this beautiful landscape. The dark colours are creating a wonderful mood. My compliments!
Warm regards
Harriet

scroller (2883) 2008-11-28 13:44

Hej Anders,
Great view, You have a special tallent to caught all theese windeling roads creating fine lines in the nature.
Hälsningar
/Stefan

jmcl (14135) 2008-12-02 15:22

Hi Anders.

Very effective dark vastness .. wonderful foreground tower .. great point of view .. I think the foreground castle could get a bit brighter .. and keep the effect of the dark backdrop .. great composition .. very nice image. take care, John

craiggc (2507) 2009-01-08 2:13

Hi Anders,

Just had a look through your gallery and it's very impressive. Your work seems to have a wonderful soft colour palette, and loads of detail.

This one stands out for me mainly for it's perspective. The winding road on the left and the highest point on the right pull the eye into the scene.

Excellent work!

(Glad you're getting some snow, we rarely see any in Shetland these days due to global warming - only a few days in January to March. It's 8 degrees C today so no chance !)