Sicily · Trapani
Erice
An Elymian mountaintop city at 751 meters above Trapani, with a Norman castle on the site of the temple of Venus Erycina and a Cold War physics center.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Erice is on our list
It holds Borghi più belli d'Italia.
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Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov
- By car
- 1 h 31 min from Palermo
- Population
- 25,770
- J10°
- F11°
- M12°
- A14°
- M19°
- J23°
- J26°
- A26°
- S23°
- O19°
- N15°
- D12°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Erice sits at 751 meters on the summit of Monte San Giuliano, directly above Trapani and the salt pans of the Mediterranean coast. The Elymians, the pre-Greek Sicilian people whose language survives only in short inscriptions, founded the city; the Phoenicians worshipped Astarte here, the Greeks Aphrodite, the Romans Venus Erycina. The temple stood on the castle rock from at least the fifth century BC.
The Normans built the Castello di Venere on the same ground in the twelfth century, reusing the temple stones; the fortress and the Balio towers still crown the eastern cliff. The historic center keeps its medieval plan of stone-paved lanes and the many churches that earned it the old name of city of a hundred churches, inside the triangular walls. Since 1963 the Ettore Majorana Foundation has run physics schools and international conferences from four restored monasteries; one of the early hosts was the former residence of the Sicilian viceroy. The view from the Balio reaches Trapani, the Egadi Islands and, on clear days, Tunisia.
How to get there
From Catania (CTA), about 4 h 3 min by car.
By car from the center of Palermo 1 h 31 min.
Coming from Palermo?
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Castello di Venere
Norman castle of the twelfth century, built on the site of the temple of Venus Erycina, reusing the temple's stone.
Torri del Balio
Three medieval towers on the eastern cliff connected to the castle, with the public gardens of the Balio in between.
Duomo dell'Assunta (Chiesa Matrice)
Mother church built in 1314 by Frederick III of Aragon, with a Gothic portal and a detached campanile that doubled as a watchtower.
Centro storico
Triangular medieval plan inside the ancient Punic walls, stone-paved lanes, dozens of churches and the cobbled patterns called acciottolato.
Fondazione e Centro di Cultura Scientifica Ettore Majorana
International physics center founded 1963, housed in four restored monasteries including the former residence of the Sicilian viceroy.
Living here
Could you live here?
Erice does not meet our one rule for a small town.
- 25,770 people, above our sweet spot of 5,000 to 20,000: big enough that it can split into neighborhoods.
- Trapani, a city of 54,949, is 28 min by car. Closer than our 30 to 60 minutes: handy for everything, so check the town still keeps a life of its own.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 25,770, down 7.4% since 2015
- Nearest city Trapani, 28 min drive
- A national health service hospital in the comune · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €950 to €1,400 per m² to buy, €3.60 to €5.30 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- A local hub
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 94% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 2, medium hazard
- Trapani airport (TPS), 34 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Palermo, 1 h 31 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
2% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania, Morocco and Tunisia, against 9% across Italy. 21 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly the United States. There are 226 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 30% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Trapani province ranks 93rd of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
There is an emergency room in the comune. The nearest major one is in Palermo, 66 km away. The nearest IB school is Gonzaga International School Palermo, 68 km as the crow flies.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.06% a year in property tax at the 2025 rate, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.8% to your income tax, with nothing due on income under €10,000. 7% pensioner tax: check before you count on it. The limit rose to 30,000 people in April 2026 and guidance is still to come. The regime is for someone with a foreign pension who has lived abroad for five years: 7% on foreign income, for ten years.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Sicily spends about €1,820 a month, €580 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €524 a year for water, on the Sicily average.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone D, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from November 1 to April 15, up to 12 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. 1% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods. 3% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
VENUS ERYCINA
The temple of the goddess of love stood on the castle rock from at least the fifth century BC; the Normans reused its stones.
ETTORE MAJORANA
Cold War physics center founded 1963, hosting international schools in four restored monasteries on top of the rock.
DOLCI EREDITARI
The genovesi, mustazzoli and almond pastries of Maria Grammatico, recipes carried on from the cloistered convents that closed in the twentieth century.
Common questions
- What is Erice known for?
- Erice is an Elymian mountaintop city at 751 meters above Trapani, with a Norman castle on the site of the temple of Venus Erycina and a Cold War physics center.
- Where is Erice?
- Erice is a comune in the province of Trapani, in Sicily.
- What is the nearest airport to Erice?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Trapani (TPS), about 34 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Palermo to Erice?
- About 1 h 31 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Erice?
- Best in Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov. August is the warmest month, averaging 26 degrees, and November the wettest, with about 16 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Erice?
- Caltagirone, Corleone and Monreale.
- How many people live in Erice?
- 25,770 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Erice a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Erice is a small town that does not meet our one rule. The nearest city, Trapani, is 28 min away by car. There is a national health service hospital in the comune. Full fibre reaches 94% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 751 m
- Population: 25,770
- Surface area: 47.34 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Similar
Towns like Erice
What all six share with Erice: over 10,000 people
Caltagirone
Province: Catania
both inland in Sicily · both high up, between 600 and 1,000 metres
Corleone
Province: Palermo
both inland in Sicily
Monreale
Province: Palermo
both inland in Sicily
Ragusa
Province: Ragusa
both inland in Sicily
Ariano Irpino
Province: Avellino
both high up, between 600 and 1,000 metres
Brunico
Province: Bolzano
both high up, between 600 and 1,000 metres
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