Trapani (Sicily): what to see


post-title

What to see in Trapani, itinerary including the main monuments and places of interest, including the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, the Church of San Agostino, the Palazzo della Giudecca and salt pans.


Tourist information

City of Sicily located along the western coast of the island, Trapani rises along a strip of land extending into the sea and a thin plain located at the foot of Mount Erice.

There are few testimonies that remain of its past, which saw it pass through the Carthaginian, Roman, Saracen and Norman dominations, above all because of the air and naval bombardments that hit it very hard during the Second World War, destroying most of the monuments. ancients.


Trapani today appears to the tourist as a modern city, which boasts a very active port.

The Cathedral of San Lorenzo, raised to the Basilica Minore, is located in the historic center of the city in Corso Vittorio Emanuele.

The Church façade is in Baroque style, with a pronaos at the bottom, while in the upper part it has a curvilinear trend.


The pronaos is composed of three bays, each of which corresponds to a round arch that opens outwards.

The gate of the pronaos, built by Ennio Tesei in 1990, is in bronze and wrought iron.

The upper part of the facade, without crowning, is decorated with Ionic pilasters, on the right side there is a bell tower with a spire covered with polychrome majolica.


The interior of the cathedral is a Latin cross, with three naves divided by Tuscan columns, six on each side, which support round arches.

The roof of the central nave has a barrel vault, while for the two sides there is a cross vault.

Recommended readings
  • Mazara del Vallo (Sicily): what to see
  • Trapani (Sicily): what to see
  • Randazzo (Sicily): what to see
  • Milazzo (Sicily): what to see
  • Sicily: Sunday day trips

In the transept there are two neoclassical altars characterized by geometric marble decorations.

The cruise, covered by the dome, is surrounded by four smaller domes and supported by a particular drum, which has a square section on the outside, while inside it is a circular section.

What see

The 14th century Church of San Agostino, restored following the serious damage suffered after the bombing, is now used as a concert hall.

This is followed by the sixteenth century Palazzo della Giudecca, the Sanctuary of the Annunziata, the main city monument dating back to the fourteenth century but remodeled several times, as evidenced by the bell tower in Baroque style.

The Pepoli National Museum boasts a valuable collection of archaeological finds, sculptures and paintings.

The collection of works in the museum began in 1827 and continued with the addition of various gifts and objects from the collection of Count Agostino Sieri Pepoli.

To complete the visit to Trapani, the salt pans, windmills and tuna fishing, which takes place in June, in the waters facing the city must not be overlooked.


An excursion to Erice, the town located on the top of the mountain of the same name, is recommended, from which you can enjoy a spectacular panorama which, on particularly clear days, includes the vision of the African coast.

Tourists visiting the city on Good Friday are advised to witness the procession of the Mysteries during the night, twenty almost natural-sized wooden groups, carved in the 1700s and depicting scenes from the Passion of Jesus.

DESTINATION TRAPANI - Traveling in Sicily (February 2024)


Tags: Sicily
Top