Geoff Brock & Bruce Gamble
         
     
   
 
 
 
 

Erice
and some free time in Trapani
Thursday 18th May 2017
 
 
Approaching Trapani
 
 
Pilot boarding outside Trapani
 
 
 
We chose to visit Erice, which meant quite a long ride in a cable. Geoff wasn't too happy!
 
 
 
Trapani Gate, Erice
 
The Mother Church, Erice
 
 
 
 
Piazza della Loggia
 
Piazzetta S. Domenico
 
 
 
Chiesa di San Cataldo
 
Chiesa di San Giuliano
 
 
 
 
View of Trapani from Erice
 
 
 
Castello di Venere, a 12th/13th century Norman castle.
 
 
We had 20 minutes to kill before going back down in the cable car. Time for some gelato!
 
 
After a scenic descent, we boarded the coach again and drove out of the city to a lovely old olive farm called Baglio Fontanasalsa. We were taken into a courtyard, where we enjoyed pre-lunch drinks and nibbles as we listened to a local singer.
 
We were then given a brief talk about how the olives are harvested and pressed...
 
...before being escorted into the dining room...
 
... where we sampled three different varieties of olive oil, followed by a lovely lunch.
 
After lunch, we tried some locally made olive oil ice cream. Geoff's verdict: "It was not unpleasant...".
 
On the way back to Trapani, we got a good view of Mount Erice and passed several salt pans.
 
 
We stopped briefly at one of the pans to see the windmill.
 
Two more photos taken from the coach as we entered Trapani.
 
 
Back to the ship and with a couple of hours to spare before our next meal(!), we decided to explore a bit of the town.
 
 
 
 
 
Sea Cloud II, chartered by the same company as our ship, docked next to us in Trapani.
 
 
 
Time to leave Trapani. Next stop - Palermo.
 
 
©Geoff Brock and Bruce Gamble