Trapani

Drepanon redirects here; it may also refer to Drepanon in Bithynia, later named Helenopolis.

Trapani
—  Comune  —
Città di Trapani
Trapani seen from Erice. The islands of Favignana (left) and Levanzo (right) can be seen in the background.
Coat of arms
Trapani Location of Trapani in Italy
Coordinates: 38°01′N 12°31′E / 38.017°N 12.517°E / 38.017; 12.517
Country	Italy
Region	Sicily
Province	Trapani (TP)
Frazioni	Marausa, Xitta, Palma, Fontanasalsa, Guarrato, Fulgatore, Salinagrande, Locogrande, Rilievo, Borgo Fazio, Ummari
Government
- Mayor	Girolamo Fazio
Area
- Total	271 km2 (104.6 sq mi)
Elevation	3 m (10 ft)
Population (1 January 2008)
- Total	70,638
- Density	260.7/km2 (675.1/sq mi)
Demonym	Trapanesi
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	91100
Dialing code	0923
Patron saint	St. Albert
Saint day	August 7
Website	Official website

Cloister of the Museum Pepoli.

Trapani  listen (help·info) (Sicilian: Tràpani) is a city and comune on the west coast of Sicily in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an important fishing port and the main gateway to the nearby Egadi Islands.

History

Trapani was founded by the Elymians to serve as the port of the nearby city of Erice (ancient Eryx), which overlooks it from Monte San Giuliano. The city sits on a low-lying promontory jutting out into the Mediterranean Sea. It was originally named Drépanon from the Greek word for "sickle", because of the curving shape of its harbour. Carthage seized control of the city in 260 BC, subsequently making it an important naval base, but ceded it to Rome in 241 BC following the Battle of the Aegates in the First Punic War.

Two ancient legends tell of mythical origins for the city. In the first legend, Trapani stemmed from the sickle which fell from the hands of the goddess Demeter while she was seeking for her daughter Persephone, who had been kidnapped by Hades. The second myth features Saturn, god of the sky, who eviscerated his father Cronus with a sickle which, falling into the sea, created the city. In ancient times Saturn was the god-protector of Trapani. Today Saturn's statue stands in a piazza in the centre of the city.

After the Roman, Vandal, Byzantine and (from the 9th century) Arab dominations, Trapani was conquered by the Normans of Roger I, flourishing under their dominations and having also a role in the Crusades as one of the most important ports in the Mediterranean Sea. In the 17th century the city decayed due to revolts, plagues and famines; however in the following century it grew from 16,000 to 30,000 inhabitants; commerce remained of local importance, while its military position in the Kingdom of Naples remained notable.

The city was badly damaged during World War II when it was subjected to intense Allied bombardments. It has grown greatly since the end of the war, sprawling out virtually to the foot of Monte San Giuliano. Tourism has grown in recent years due to the city's proximity to popular destinations such as Erice, Segesta and the Egadi Islands.

Economy

Much of Trapani's economy still depends on the sea. Fishing and canning are the main local industries, with fishermen using the mattanza technique to catch tuna. Coral is also an important export, along with salt, marble and marsala wine. The nearby coast is lined with numerous salt-pans.

The city is also an important ferry port, with links to the Egadi Islands, Pantelleria, Sardinia and Tunisia. It also has its own airport, the Trapani-Birgi Airport.

Main sights

Much of the old city of Trapani dates from the later medieval or early modern periods; there are no extant remains of the ancient city. Many of the city's historic buildings are designed in the Baroque style. Notable monuments include:

• The Church of Sant'Agostino (14th century, with the splendid rose-window
• The Church of Santa Maria di Gesù (15th-16th centuries)
• The magnificent Basilica-Sanctuary of Maria Santissima Annunziata (also called "Madonna di Trapani") originally built in 1315–1332 and rebuilt in 1760. It houses a marble statue of the Madonna of Trapani, which might be the work of Nino Pisano, and with the museum Agostino Pepoli.
• Fontana di Tritone ("Triton's Fountain")
• The Baroque Palazzo della Giudecca or Casa Ciambra.
• The Cathedral (built in 1421, but restored to the current appearance in the 18th century by Giovanni Biagio Amico). It includes an Annunciation attributed to Anthony van Dyck.
• Church of Maria SS. dell'Intria, another notable example of Sicilian Baroque.
• Church of Badia Nuova, a small Baroque church.

Monte Erice is a cable car ride from the city and aside from the cobbled streets and medieval castle, there are views of Tunisia and Africa from up there on clear days.

There are several beaches running along the coast of Trapani, the best of which are at Marausa about 9 km south of the city.

Climate

Climate data for Trapani, Sicily
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	15.0 (59.0)	15.3 (59.5)	16.6 (61.9)	19.0 (66.2)	23.1 (73.6)	26.7 (80.1)	29.7 (85.5)	30.1 (86.2)	27.7 (81.9)	23.7 (74.7)	19.4 (66.9)	16.2 (61.2)	21.88
Daily mean °C (°F)	11.6 (52.9)	11.7 (53.1)	12.6 (54.7)	14.6 (58.3)	18.2 (64.8)	21.7 (71.1)	24.6 (76.3)	25.2 (77.4)	23.1 (73.6)	20.0 (68.0)	15.7 (60.3)	12.8 (55.0)	17.65
Average low °C (°F)	8.1 (46.6)	8.0 (46.4)	8.6 (47.5)	10.2 (50.4)	13.2 (55.8)	16.6 (61.9)	19.4 (66.9)	20.2 (68.4)	18.4 (65.1)	15.4 (59.7)	12.0 (53.6)	9.3 (48.7)	13.28
Precipitation mm (inches)	56.3 (2.217)	45.8 (1.803)	44.9 (1.768)	36.9 (1.453)	16.8 (0.661)	4.7 (0.185)	2.4 (0.094)	8.7 (0.343)	41.6 (1.638)	60.8 (2.394)	64.7 (2.547)	65.0 (2.559)	448.6 (17.661)
Avg. precipitation days (≥ 1 mm)	8.7	8.1	7.1	5.6	2.5	1.0	0.4	1.1	3.4	6.6	7.2	9.8	61.5
Sunshine hours	133.3	145.0	189.1	219.0	226.3	306.0	347.2	319.3	255.0	210.8	159.0	127.1	2,637.1
Source: Hong Kong Observatory[1]

Culture

The city is renowned for its Easter related Holy Week activities and traditions, culminating between Good Friday and Holy Saturday in the Processione dei Misteri di Trapani, colloquially simply the Misteri di Trapani (in English the Procession of the Mysteries of Trapani or the Mysteries of Trapani), a day long passion procession organized and sponsored by the city's guilds, featuring twenty floats of lifelike wood, canvas and glue sculptures, mostly from the 17th and 18th centuries, of individual scenes of the events of the Passion.

The Misteri are amongst the oldest continuously running religious events in Europe, having been played every Good Friday since before the Easter of 1612. Running for at least 16 continuous hours, but occasionally well beyond the 24 hours, they are the longest religious festival in Sicily and in Italy.

Transport

Trapani-Birgi Airport, a military-civil joint use airport (third for traffic on the island). Recently the airport has seen an increase of traffic thanks to low-cost carriers from all parts of Europe (es. London-Stansted and London-Luton, Paris Beauvais, Dublin, Bruxelles, Munich, Frankfurt, Eindhoven, Stockholm).

Sport

From 28 September to 9 October 2005 Trapani was the location of Acts 8 and 9 of the Louis Vuitton Cup. This sailing race featured, among other entrants, all the boats that took part in the 2007 America's Cup.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Italy

Twin towns — Sister cities

Trapani is twinned with:

• Constanţa, Romania
• Les Sables-d'Olonne, France

References

1. ^ "Climatological Information for Trapani, Italy" - Hong Kong Observatory

External links

• Museum Agostino Pepoli (English)