EJ · Segesta and Erice Tour

Starting from your hotel with your guide, you will move towards Trapani. After about 40 minutes leave the main road and go inland towards Mt Barbaro, 432 metres above the sea. After about 20 minutes you reach the interesting archaeological site of Segesta where you shall visit the temple, built in 430/420 BC and perfectly preserved.
The temple is located in a magnificent position, dominating all the surrounding area and the far away coast line and sea. The Temple is an unfinished Greek-Sicilian doric peripteral of 6x14 columns. There is no evidence of the cult and of the altar where it was practiced. However, the modest remains of an earlier, simple sacred building found during the excavations in the centre of the temple, indicate the existence of a fairly ancient cult area.
By a shuttle bus you will get to the Theatre, built in local limestone and characterized by typical features of Greek architecture, even though, unlike these, it was entirely sustained by a massive supporting wall (anàlemma). The cavea, that could host up to 4000 people, is divided horizontally by a large corridor (diàzoma), which is framed by backed seats and, vertically, by six small rows of steps that form seven wedge shaped sections (kerkìdes) of various dimensions. After the visit, re-join your motorcoach and continue your trip to Erice where you shall arrive in about one hour. Leaving the bus at the parking place you will start the guided visit of this delightful small, clean, silent medieval city perched on cliff 751 metres above the se level. Founded in the 5th century BC Erice was conquered by Romans in 241 BC. The place shows the original medieval shape. The main sights will be the Norman gates to the city, the Virgin Mary Church to be seen from exterior, the Balio Gardens and the Venus Castle. After the visit time at leisure for lunch on own before the drive back to Palermo.