Garden of the Balio in Erice

It is one of the most beautiful towns in Sicily Ericein province of Trapani: rises on the homonymous Mount Erice at 751 m. tall and its name refers to the legendary character of Erix, the son of the goddess Aphrodite killed by the hero Hercules. There are many things to see in this enchanting village, from Duomo al Castle of Venus up to Garden of Bali, a small green lung of the town that offers breathtaking views of the surrounding area.

Garden of the Balio: historical notes

Il Garden of Bali is located on top of Mount Erice, in an area that has always been very fascinating from a landscape point of view, so much so that already in the 800th century there was a first plant which was adjacent to the Castle of Venus, as it still is today.
With the decay of the fortress, even the garden was abandoned and neglect took over, until the end of the 800th century. In fact, Count Agostino Sieri Pepoli made a sort of pact with the municipality of Erice: that is, he would reclaim the entire area surrounding the castle and therefore both the green area and the Norman towers, on condition that he became the owner.

Count Pepoli then provided to rebuild both the pentagonal tower that was razed to the ground in the fifteenth century, and the crenellated walls that surrounded the property: he then decided to transform the area surrounding the castle into a magnificent English garden open to the public, which has now become a real natural monument of Erice.

Architecture of the Balio Garden in Erice

The Giardino del Balio is the perfect place to enjoy a few moments immersed in silence and nature: Mediterranean plants are the masters, among ash trees, pines, almond trees, cypresses and holm oaks, plant monuments that frame the panoramic points scattered in the garden, from which you can see Trapani with its salt pans, the Stagnone Lagoon, the Egadi Islands and the coasts of Marsala. If this is the view to the south, from the belvederes facing north, the view extends over the Zingaro mountains and Monte Cofano, with the possibility of seeing, on the clearest and clearest days, even the beautiful island of Ustica.

The Balio Garden is made up of terracing and elegant gothic structures, which do nothing but accentuate the romantic aspect of this green area: among the many sculptures scattered throughout the Giardino del Balio, the most striking is the Fountain of Venus, decorated with a bee to symbolize the fight against racial laws. You can then see an icon of the Virgin Mary and a prie-dieu looking towards the city of Custonaci.

What to see around the Balio Garden in Erice

The Giardino del Balio stands in the shadow of the Castello di Venere, located on top of the Mount Erice in a spectacular panoramic position: it was built in the Norman period between the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries, just a stone's throw from the remains of an ancient temple dedicated to Astarte, the goddess of fertility for the Phoenicians. At the foot of the Castle of Venus stands the Torretta Pepoli, an eclectic work with Art Nouveau elements created at the behest of Pepoli to make it a container of arts and culture.
Il Erice Cathedral is one of the things to see in the city: it was built in Gothic style in the fourteenth century by order of Federico d'Aragona, it is dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption and its bell tower was in the past a watchtower.

Equally beautiful are then there Church of San Martino from the Norman period and the fifteenth century Church of Sant'Orsola Gothic-Renaissance with a spectacular floor made up of colored majolica or again, the Church of San Cataldo born in the fourteenth century.

Finally, it is worth a visit Municipal Museum Antonio Carolici, inside which are kept the head of Venus, much venerated in ancient Erice, majolica panels, a sculpture by Gagini on the Annunciation and fine ceramics.

Recommended activities for a tour in Erice and the Province of Trapani

How to get to Erice

To reach Erice and visit the beautiful Giardino del Balio, you have to start from Trapani and take the SP31. Those coming from Palermo must instead first cross the SS113 and then the SS187, passing through Castellammare del Golfo.