Trapani

Trapani is like a book to read slowly ... Every page is able to capture your energy and your attention because Trapani holds great wonders and beautiful trails pervaded of artistic and cultural riches.
Walking through the streets of the historic center, there is a perception of the mixture of civilizations that have left indelible marks in the urban and architectural monuments of the city. "Drepanum," the old Trapani, stretches towards the Mediterranean with its sickle-shape at whose extreme tip there is Ligny Tower, built as a watchtower in 1761, now houses the Prehistory Museum.
Surrounded by the sea and Mount Erice, the city is located around its port, now masterfully scaled so as to be the point of reference for large cruise ships and the starting point for the beautiful Egadi Islands and for connections to the city of Naples.
From small Sicilian village, Trapani became a small fortified town , typically populated by fishermen, craftsmen and traders.Plowing the Mediterranean , the Phoenicians were the protagonists of a prosperous period that saw the city becoming an emporium of trade. When in the ninth century BC they planted in the western Mediterranean sea they founded Carthage and reinforced Trapani , the city witnessed the great naval battles between the Carthaginians and the Romans; that of 249 BC saw the defeat of the Roman fleet and in 241 BC that one of the Egadi Islands saw the Romans occupy Trapani.
The Roman period is a hard period for the city : Trapani loses its political autonomy and lands ownership while new taxes are imposed . In 395 Sicily and Trapani goes the Eastern Roman Empire . The city is reborn with the domination of the Arabs who , starting from 827 , conquest of Sicily leaving many traces of their presence . It's in this period that the city finds new moments of brilliance because with the Arab rule new residential areas were built and they introduced new systems in hydraulic engineering revolutionizing the fishing techniques that show the splendor of the ancient port activity.
In 1097 Trapani is dominated by the Normans in a period of splendor : the port obtains exemption from customs and the city hosts the first consulate of the major trading powers , while the Roman Catholic religion is proclaimed the official religion . The Swabian period , starting in 1194, sees Trapani confirmed in the importance of its port , but with the reign of Charles of Anjou , the city experienced a new difficult period due to a substantial tax burden. The Sicilian Vespers of 1282 , attended by many notables of Trapani, lead to the end of the Angevin domination in Sicily and thus begins the Aragonese/Spanish domination . Trapani knows a new urban setting and Charles V contributes to increase business activities and crafts . The Spanish rule ended in 1713 and in the second half of the eighteenth century begins the reign of the Bourbon ruling Sicily until 1860. In this period the maritime activity has moments of great development and in parallel also the industries of salt and traps .
Trapani takes part in the riots of 1848 and in 1899 King Umberto I decorated the city with the gold medal. The city is actively involved in the unification of Italy but its geographical position places it too far from the most important markets determining its descent , exasperated even more in the early twentieth century and during the First World War. The Second World War also marked the city with the destruction of the entire district of San Pietro, the oldest district of Trapani and the Garibaldi Theatre built in 1849. The city suffers of twenty-eight air raids but only between 1950 and 1965 it finds a resumption of industrial and commercial activities . In January 1968 the Valle del Belice earthquake causes serious repercussions once again and also considerable damage to the city.
Finally , the 90s decree the final revival of Trapani: the wealth of art powered, the natural resources and touristic accommodation grew and in recent years the city became the preferred scenario for artistic and sporting events of great international importance.