Territory - Landlords, Hotel, Holiday Homes at Castellammare del Golfo

Castellammare del Golfo

The first core of the town had the function of emporium for the nearby and prosperous city of Segesta with whom he shared the glory and decline.
The town flourished under the Arabs and resented the next several rulers who left significant traces in language, culture and agriculture but also in the culinary arts.
The cultural relevance of the entire area was confirmed by its inclusion among the locations belonging to the European Cultural Route also called the route of the Phoenicians.
Its location, close to two airports, along the A29 highway, makes Castellammare del Golfo the ideal base for a series of countless journeys and itineraries, to satisfy every need.
The surrounding area is an ensemble of natural beauty and locations of significant history and culture;
in less than an hour, for example, you can reach places like Segesta, Erice, Selinunte, Trapani, Palermo, Monreale, and directly from the harbour you can reach by sea the beautiful Egadi Islands and the island of Ustica, or sail along the coast to the Natural Reserve Lo Zingaro till San Vito Lo Capo.

The Egadi Islands: Levanzo, Marettimo and Favignana

The Archipelago Egadi includes the three main islands: Favignana, Levanzo and Marettimo and two uninhabited islands Maraone and Formica.
The sea that surrounds them is a Marine Natural Reserve.
Levanzo, with its 5 square kilometers, is the smallest and less inhabited island of the archipelago. A village made of a few inhabitants and surrounded by a high and rugged coastline that opens on a clear sea.
The appearance of the island is pretty wild, made of loops, caves and mountains. Its greatest pride is The Cave of the Genovese: on its walls were found important Palaeolithic graffiti representing men, animals, scenes of hunting and fishing.
Marettimo is the farthest of the three islands and also the most mountainous, at 37 km from the coast of Trapani. Formerly called Hiera today takes its name from two of its elements: the sea and the thymus, a metaphor of the mountain.
Favignana is the largest, most populous and perhaps the most famous of the three islands. Beautiful waters, small coves and indescribable colored seabeds. On top of the mountain at 304 meters you will see the Castle of St. Catherine, built in Norman times by King Roger.

Erice and Monte San Giuliano: the fortified city

There are places in Sicily where myth weaves together with history and where archeology testifies the life of ancient populations and civilizations. On the summit of Monte San Giuliano, a marvellous panoramic view of Trapani, lays the town of Erice.

It was populated by the Elimi who erected the temple to worship the goddess of fertility and love. Successive rulers entitled the temple to their gods, so the Phoenicians worshiped Tanit-Astarte, the Greeks Aphrodite , the Romans the Venus Ericina.
On the ruins still stands the Castle of Venus, fortified during the Norman rule, the city is surrounded by cyclopean walls of Elimo (seventh century B.C.) whose corners stand the Norman castle, the cathedral (1314) and the Spanish District.

The historical center has a typical medieval urban plant with squares, narrow and tortuous streets which overlook beautiful flowered courtyards, animated by shops of local crafts: finely decorated pottery, colorful hand-woven carpets, traditional sweets made of almonds and candied fruit.

The stacks of Scopello and the Natural Reserve Lo Zingaro

Scopello, an ancient fishing village rises on the site of the mythical city of Cetaria, named for the exceptional abundance of tuna in its sea. It was the Arabs who called the site Iscubul, to restructure the trap, once destroyed the city of Cetaria. Today the complex is in disuse, but everything has remained perfectly efficient, from the complex of warehouses to the town, from the houses to the boats and nets: silent witnesses of an ancient maritime civilization now almost disappeared in Sicily. The town of Scopello, a small charming agglomeration countryside built around the seventeenth century, dominates the landscape with its structure almost intact. The structure insists on a settlement likely Arab-Norman, clearly visible in the stone foundations on the north and west sides. The other cliff overlookes both the village and the wide stretch of sea below, lined with the tower of the Tonnara, there is the Tower Bennistra (old sighting tower), built in the sixteenth century.

The Natural Reserve of the Zingaro was the first natural reserve in Sicily and is unique in terms of landscape and nature. Along seven kilometers of breathtaking scenery, rugged coastline and pristine beaches where the sea takes incomparable colors and transparencies, lush wild Mediterranean plants grow, such as saw palmetto and myrtle and nest more than forty species of birds not found anywhere else on the island. From the archaeological point of view the prehistoric settlements of the caves Uzzo are particularly important. Accessible only by foot from Scopello and from San Vito Lo Capo, the reserve is well organized with trails, shelters, water-points, picnic areas, museums and parking lots.

The blue sea and white beach of San Vito lo Capo

San Vito lo Capo, a town of maritime tradition, was developed around the ancient Saracen fortress, later turned into a sanctuary dedicated to San Vito.

Today the main activity is tourism, its climate, the beach, the sea, the streets decorated with flowers, fresh fish, the intense perfumes and its landscape offer visitors the opportunity for an unforgettable vacation.

Between San Vito lo Capo and Castellammare del Golfo the rolling hills sloping down to the sea, in a myriad of bays, announce the beginning of the Natural Reserve Lo Zingaro.

Segesta and Selinunte History and Myth

Segesta: According to the legend Segesta owes its name to the nymph Egesta that would have welcomed the fugitive Aeneas after the destruction of Troy. The fame of Segesta, the most important city of the Elimi, is linked to the impressive Doric temple of the third century B.C. beautifully preserved and to the spectacular theater that is projected on the natural scenery of the Gulf of Castellammare. Recent excavations have brought to light some interesting examples of later ages. It has emerged, in addition to the remains of the ancient city, a castle, town-walls, and even a mosque. The theater hosts during the summer presentations of ancient and modern shows and many other events.

Selinunte: The most western of the Greek colonies in Sicily, was able to flourish for at least two centuries after its foundation (seventh century B.C.), often entering into conflict with neighboring Segesta and enduring the siege and the final destruction by the Carthaginians in 409 BC. Archaeological excavations, that have begun in the first half of the nineteenth century and not yet completed, brought to light an area of 270 hectares, which includes ruins of the ancient city, a large number of temples, a necropolis and a sanctuary.