Sights and landmarks in Erice
57 sights worth seeing in Erice: landmarks, galleries, monuments and viewpoints.
Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first. Showing the top 40 of 57.
Sights and landmarks in Erice
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Agro-Forestry Museum of San Matteo
Museo Agro-Forestale San Matteo
Set in a traditional rural baglio, the museum explores local agricultural and forestry traditions on Monte Erice.
Check seasonal opening (often closed in winter)Free or small donation
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Annunciation or Carmine Church
Chiesa dell'Annunziata o del Carmine
Founded in 1423 by Don Bernardo Militari in his palace, this church is a rare example of private ecclesiastical architecture in Sicily. It blends Gothic and Renaissance styles with vibrant local Baroque touches. It was historically attached to a Carmelite convent, founded in 1423. The adjoining convent buildings are now used as a hotel.
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Balio Towers
Torri del Balio
Group of medieval towers that once guarded the castle approach and housed royal officials. Overlooks the coastline and Balio Gardens.
Exterior open; towers included in Erice Card ticketIncluded in the Erice Card
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Castle of Venus
Castello di Venere
12th-century Norman castle built over the ancient Temple of Venus Erycina. Set on a cliff with wide views over the coast and valleys.
Apr–May & Oct: 10:00–18:00; Jun–Sep: 10:00–19:00 (Aug until 20:00)Included in the Erice Card
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Chapel of Our Lady of Custonaci
Cappella della Madonna di Custonaci
This small chapel overlooks the countryside with distant views toward Custonaci, where the main sanctuary of the Madonna of Custonaci is located. It is dedicated to the Madonna of Custonaci, one of the most venerated Marian figures in western Sicily.
Free
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Chiaramontan Aqueduct
Acquedotto chiaramontano
Historic Difali fountain that was part of a medieval aqueduct constructed by the Chiaramonte family to convey water to Trapani.
Accessible at all timesFree
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Church of Saint Albert
Chiesa di Sant'Alberto dei Bianchi
Oval-plan 16th-century church with altars and stuccoes, once used by a charitable brotherhood.
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Church of Saint Anthony the Abbot
Chiesa di Sant'Antonio Abate
Coastal-view church with Byzantine frescoes and distinctive Tuscan columns.
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Church of Saint Catherine
Chiesa di Santa Caterina
This small church was built in 1335 and formed part of a large palazzo of a noble soldier Giovanni Majorana that once extended all the way down to Piazza Carmine.
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Church of Saint Francis of Assisi
Chiesa di San Francesco
Founded in 1364 by Count Francesco Ventimiglia in his former palace, this active church—once part of a major Franciscan complex—features a single nave and a Renaissance-style vestibule added in the early 20th century.
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Church of Saint Francis of Paola
Chiesa di San Francesco di Paola
A single-nave church dedicated to Saint Francis of Paola, a town in Calabria. The building served as a hospital chapel until the 19th century, associated with a hospital once located in the adjacent Majorana Soldier Palace.
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Church of Saint Hippolytus
Chiesa di Sant'Ippolito
A ruined medieval church which preserves fragments of a medieval fresco cycle and incorporates the cave Oratory of Saint Gregory, associated with earlier eremitic traditions.
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Church of Saint Isidore
Chiesa di Sant'Isidoro
Small sanctuary near the birthplace of Blessed Luigi Rabatà, historically linked to farming communities.
Included in the Erice Card
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Church of Saint John the Baptist
Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista
Gothic-style church with marble works by the Gagini school and Erice’s largest nave.
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Church of Saint Julian
Chiesa di San Giuliano
It was founded by Roger I, and rebuilt in the 17th century. It is used for religious and civic gatherings.
10:00–18:00Included in the Erice Card
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Church of Saint Martin
Chiesa di San Martino
17th-century confraternity church with Renaissance and Rococo-style interiors. A statue of Padre Pio stands beside the church in Piazzetta Adragna, the town's former market square.
Included in the Erice Card
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Church of Saint Mary Magdalene
Chiesa di Santa Maria Maddalena
Ruined medieval church of probable Norman origin, formerly decorated with a notable cycle of 12th-century frescoes now preserved in the Church of San Giovanni Battista.
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Church of Saint Mary Major
Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore
One of the three medieval churches of the Tre Chiese route, representing the network of rural religious foundations that once occupied the slopes of Monte Erice.
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Church of Saint Peter
Chiesa di San Pietro
Built in 1365 and rebuilt in 1610 in Baroque style; connected by an arch to the Monastery of the Poor Clares
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Church of Saint Ursula
Chiesa di Sant'Orsola
15th-century church that houses the Misteri statues used during Good Friday processions.
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Church of Santa Teresa
Chiesa di Santa Teresa
Moved to its current site around 1828–1830, this former hospital chapel has a single nave and houses a revered statue of its patron saint, central to a popular annual procession still celebrated in Erice and nearby areas. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries the adjoining monastery was converted for civic use.
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Church of the Capuchins
Sorelle Povere di Santa Chiara Monastero Sacro Cuore
A 16th-century Roman Catholic church built as part of a Capuchin convent in 1571; today the adjoining convent is home to the Poor Clares. Inhabited by nuns; generally closed to visitors, though the exterior can be admired.
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Church of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Quarantors
Chiesa del SS. Sacramento dei Quaranta
Founded in 1765, this small Baroque church with an oval interior was later repurposed as a grocery store, political office, and eventually a private holiday home.
Free (Exterior visible)
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Church of the Most Holy Saviour
Chiesa del Santissimo Salvatore
14th-century church founded by count Enrico Chiaramonte; decorated with stuccoes by Pietro dell'Orto in 1794.
Included in the Erice Card
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Coppola House
Casa Coppola
Former home of Cavaliere Giuseppe Coppola, a patriot and officer of the Crown of Italy, this house bears a 1910 plaque honoring his noble roots, role in Italy’s unification, and steadfast resistance.
Free (Exterior visible)
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Cordici Museum
Polo Museale A. Cordici
Housed in a former convent. Exhibits include Elymian and Roman artifacts, sacred art, and Italian modernism.
10:00–18:00; audio tours in 5 languagesIncluded in the Erice Card
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Curatolo-Ragusa House
Casa Curatolo-Ragusa
Overlooking Erice’s main square, this elegant 18th-century residence features a crest with a crane, stars, and mountain, and encloses a small courtyard.
Free (Exterior visible)
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Dovecote
Stone dovecote traditionally associated with the Sacred Doves of Eryx, birds linked to the ancient cult of Venus Erycina.
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Elymian-Punic Walls
Mura Ciclopiche Elimo-Puniche
Ancient walls built from the 8th century BCE by the Elymians, later expanded by Punic and medieval builders.
Accessible at all timesFree
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Erice in Miniature
Erice in Miniatura
1:100 scale model of Erice made from traditional materials, with mechanical and lighting effects.
Apr–Oct: daily 10:00–18:00; Nov–Mar: weekends/by reservationIncluded in Erice Card; standalone approx €2
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Eugene Wigner Institute
Convento di San Francesco
Former Franciscan convent founded in 1364 by Count Francesco Ventimiglia and expanded over the following centuries. After briefly serving as a hospital, the historic complex was repurposed as the Eugene Wigner Institute, part of the Ettore Majorana Foundation, and now hosts scientific conferences and research activities. The atmospheric spaces are also used for art exhibitions, concerts, and cultural performances.
Included in the Erice Card
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Former Hotel Igea
Ex Hotel Igea
Early 20th-century Liberty-style (Art Nouveau) building that once served as Erice’s grand hotel during the interwar tourism boom. The historic structure is now reused as residential accommodation for enrolled students of the local hospitality school and not as a public hotel.
Free (Exterior visible)
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House of the Columns
Casa delle Colonne
A 16th-century house named for the pair of detached corner columns projecting from its façade. On the north side of the block is an unusual doorway carved from a single limestone slab.
Free (Exterior visible)
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Isidor I. Rabi Institute
Monastery of the Poor Clares
An administrative and teaching complex of the Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture, housed in the former monastery of the Poor Clares
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Kardaky House
Casa Kardaky
A Liberty-style house from the early 20th century, that was built as a holiday residence for the Kardaky family of Cairo. It remained in their possession until the 1940s.
Free (Exterior visible)
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Laudicina House
Casa Laudicina
Overlooking the Balio Gardens, this imposing former residence of Trapani mayor Domenico Laudicina blends two historic houses around a courtyard, featuring ornate plasterwork with Art Deco touches.
Free (Exterior visible)
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Majorana House
Casa Majorana
This elegant 18th-century townhouse, once home to the noble Majorana family, is a refined example of barocchetto siciliano, a lighter, more graceful take on Sicilian Baroque.
Free (Exterior visible)
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Monastery and Church of Saint Charles
Monastero e Chiesa di San Carlo
Founded in 1617 as a home for orphaned girls, this former convent complex became known for its confectionery tradition, including almond sweets such as pasta reale. Following recent restoration, parts of the historic site are now reused for education and residential accommodation for enrolled pupils of the local hospitality school (not open to visitors).
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Monastery of the Most Holy Saviour (Ruins)
Monastero del Santissimo Salvatore
Ruin of a Benedictine monastery built over a medieval noble residence.
Included in the Erice Card
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Necropolis of Piano delle Forche
A Punic burial site just outside the ancient fortification walls.
Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Erice (CC BY-SA 4.0).