Some information about Trapani

Trapani, the administrative centre of the province, in the middle of the Mediterranean, at one time was the centre of the world. It is a sickle shaped promontory bathed by the sea.
The Greeks called it Drapane, it was then Drepanon and successively the Latin Drepanum.
After 1200 the people of Trapani gained supremacy of the seas through their voyages, fishing and commerce. Through coral fishing the sea between the Trapani coast and the Egadi islands, in 1500 they developed trade for merchants and craftsmen, which involved traders, goldsmiths, coral artists, bankers and the whole working population.

Today, the city appears rejuvenated. Its port has been partly changed to better serve the new navigation needs and the seafront is a pleasant place to live. The paved streets of via Garibaldi and Corso Vittorio Emanuele are the civic meeting place. The Trapanese people are devoted to the Madonna of Trapani and Saint Albert of Sicily, who is the patron of the city. One of the most important festivals is the Procession of the Mysteries of Trapani. There is no mystery here though; it is simply a faithful religious procession of wooden statues, made by the “trades” – the city’s guilds, which tell the story of the passion and death of Jesus Christ. Trapani, thanks to the sea, sun and wind, is linked to its salt pans with their windmills. This is where the production and trade of sea salt increased the wealth of the town. Today, the salt pans are a Regione Sicilia nature reserve. You need to experience the beauty of the Old Town, the many colours of its sunsets, the history of its people and the hard work of its fearless sailors in order to understand the greatness of its population, the Trapanese people.

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