Trapani and Erice

If you read my last post you might recall how the previous day of vacation ended - a climb to a fourth floor room with a fantastic balcony, a delicious dinner, and fabulous vino.  We had such a good time that we decided to change our plans a bit.  Originally we were going to stay in Trapani just one night and then move on to Erice.  We were so happy and comfortable that we decided to stay in Trapani an additional day. (Not to mention that the ordeal of dragging our luggage to the 4th floor seemed such a waste for only one night!)

After the booking details had been dealt with I took off on my own for a couple of hours to photograph some of the details around the centro of Trapani.

The gates of the Cattedrale di S. Lorenzo

Chiesa del Collegio dei Gesuiti

Panorama of Trapani made of nine shots

While we were in Trapani  I discovered a local artist/photographer, Nino Lombardo.  His work was primarily printed on canvas and was the result of photographs which were substantially altered in Photoshop. Each of his pieces were very vibrant and eye-catching. After seeing his work I tried out a few techniques on my own and the following image is what I came up with based on the inspiration I gained from his work.

In my last post (and a bit above) I raved about our accommodations - Ai Lumi B&B.  This is the front entrance:

The front of the Ai Lumi B&B which is located inside the Palazzo Berardo Ferro

I met back up with Les and we headed out to check out the medieval town of Erice, high on Mt. Eryx overlooking Trapani to the west and San Vito Lo Capo and Mt. Cofano to the east. While I'm glad we visited Erice I was happy that we had decided to stay another night in Trapani instead of Erice.  It was a fabulous side trip, though.

Erice's narrow cobblestone streets were perfect for afternoon exploration.  The stone buildings shielded us from most of the chilling wind.  I had no idea how cold it would be up there!

This dog was keeping watch over his street

Castello di Venere

Les with the fantastic backdrop of San Vito Lo Capo and Mt Cofano

A magnificent view of Trapani and the salt flats

To end our time in Erice we stopped for a snack and some hot tea.  The warmth of the tea really hit the spot after wandering the medieval town on such a blustery day. While I was in Erice I had a hard time remembering that I was in Sicily.  The narrow roads, old buildings, and especially the castle made it easy to let my mind wander to imagining times long past and places that I would have pictured much farther north.

Once we were back in Trapani we headed to the hotel to relax a bit before dinner.  It had been another great vacation day!

A bridge connecting the Cattedrale di S. Lorenzo to.... who knows :)