La Famiglia Trapani Province

Trapani City Information

This page is dedicated to our ancestors who were born in Trapani Province, Sicily, Italy

Trapani City

Trapani Area, .................Trapani City

Contributed by: Miss Brandilyn Rae Douglass Kaiserslautern, GERMANY Rheinland-Pfalz WorldGenWeb Project Page Primary Researcher

http://members.tripod.com/~brandilyn http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/6909

brandilyn@hotmail.com

  • Book info: Let's Go The Budget Guide to Italy Including Tunisia 19966 Completly Revised Every Year; Celeste Raina Young; St. Martin's Press, NY, copyright 1996. ISBN: 0-312-13548-3.
  • Quote from book -- on Trapani...
  • Trapani is not your typical Italian city. Surrounded by the ocean on three sides, Trapani stays cool under even the hottest Mediterranean sun. Its residents display a combination of Sicilian candor and North African effusiveness that has earned Trapani the designation of "Sicily's friendliest city." While its sights are not at the top of most tourists' itineraries, it makes a perfect base for expeditions to the beaches of the western coast, the ruins of monumental Greek temples, and the breathtaking mountain-town of Erice. If you're in Trapani for more than a few hours, the town's churches, fashioned with a mix of European and African influences, merit more than just a hurried glance.
  • FERRIES: Ferries and "aliscafi" (hydrofoils) leave Trapani for the Egadi Islands (Levanzo, Favignana, and Marettimo) and Tunisia. Both leave the docks off Via Ammiraglio Staiti, which runs the lenght of the port just south of Corso Italia. Tickets for ferries are available from Siremar, Via Ammiraglio Saiti, 61 (tel. 54 05 15; open Mon.-Fri. 6am-2pm, 4-6pm, and 9pm-midnight; Sat. 6am-2pm, 4-5pm, and 9pm-midnight; Sun. 6am-2pm). Siremar has its hydrofoil ticket office (tel. 277 80) right on the docks, as does Alilauro (tel. 240 73). These open up at least a half-hour before each hydrofoil departs. The following departure times are for mid-June through mid-September only; prices are the same on all lines. Keep in mind that inter-island ferries are somewhat less than reliable.
  • Trapani-Favignana: 6 per day (7am-2pm, 1-1 1/2 hr., L4600). 10 hydrofoils per day (7am-7:15pm, 20min., L9600).
  • Trapani-Levanzo: 4 per day (7am-2pm, 1-1 1/2 hr., L4600). 11 hydrofoils per day (7am-7:15pm, 20min., L9200).
  • Trapani-Marettimo: 1 per day at 9am(2 1/2 hr., L10,400). Two hydrofoils per day (8:15am-6:15pm, 1 hr., L20,600).
  • Trapani-Pantelleria: Ferries depart daily at 9am and midnight (4 1/2 hr., L35,100). (Siremar only.)
  • Trapani-Tunis (Tunisia): Tirrenia runs a ferry every Mon. at 9am (9hr, L87,200); Alimar runs Wed. at 11am and Fri. at 10pm (L78,000). Tickets for both lines are available at Sudovest Viaggi (tel. 271 01), located 50m back from the port.
  • ORIENTATION AND PRACTICAL INFORMATION Trapani sits on a peninsula, two hours west of Palermo by train (L11,700). An express bus makes the trip in two hours, rolling from Via Paolo Balsamo, 2, near the train station in Palermo, to P. Garibaldi in Trapani (L13,500). Trains run from Marsala (13 per day, 45min., L4200). From Agrigento, S. Lumia (tel. 204 14) runs four buses per day from P. Garibaldi (behind the movie theater, near the post office; 6:20am-2:10pm, L14,500). To get your bearings, take a look at the city map posted on the wall of the train station, near the ticket office. Via Osorio starts a little to the left of the station; turn left at the end, and the first right is Corso Italia. At the end of Corso Italia sits Piazza S. Agostino, and beyond the piazza, Trapani's main thoroughfare Corso Vittorio Emanuele cuts through the old city to the tip of the peninsula and intersects Via Roma, which spans the peninsula. The old town lies directly in front of the train station; the new town is behind it.
  • Tourist office: P. Saturno (tel. 290 00). Take Via Osorio from the Mobil sign, turn left at the end, and then go right onto Corso Italia all the way to the piazzetta. Armfuls of handouts. English spoken. Open Mon.-Sat. 8am-2pm and 3-8pm, Sun. 9am-noon. Information booth at airport open for incoming flights. APT main office, Via Vito Sorba, 15 (tel. 270 77; fax 294 30), four blocks behind the station to the right. Open Mon.-Sat. 8am-2pm; might supply free tour guides for large groups, but not that helpful to individual tourists.
  • Police: Via Orlandini, 19 (tel. 271 22). Municipal Police: tel. 212 91.
  • Post Office: P. Vittorio Veneto (tel. 87 30 38 or 291 28), up Via Osorio and then right on Via XXX Gennaio. Open Mon.-Fri. 8am-5pm. Postal Code: 91100.
  • Telephones: Telecom, Via Scontrino, near the station. Open Mon.-Sat. 9am-1pm and 4-8pm, Sun. 9am-12:30pm and 4:30-8pm. Telephone Code: 0923.
  • Currency Exchange: in the train station. Open Mon.-Sat. 7am-noon and 3:30-5:30pm.
  • Flights: V. Florio Airport (tel. 84 12 22), 16km outside the city in Birgi en route to Marsala. Buses leave 1hr. before flight time from outside Salvo Viaggi, Corso Italia, 52/56 (tel. 54 54 11).
  • Trains: at P. Stazione (tel. 280 71 or 280 81). Office open Mon.-Sat. 5:40am-8:20pm and Sun. 5:45am-7:50pm.
  • Buses: AST (tel. 210 21) buses to Erice leave from P. Malta (Montalto), to the left of the train station (Mon.-Sat. 12 per day, 6:45am-9:30pm, Sun. 5per day, 9am-6:15pm; L2500, round-trip L4300). Catch the return bus in Erice on Via Pepoli (Mon.-Sat. 7:30am-10:15pm; Sun. 10am-7:15pm). SAV, the orange city bus, can be taken all over town for L700. Tickets can be bought at most tabacchi.
  • Luggage Storage: at the train station, L1500 per piece. Open 7:12am-9:12pm.
  • Emergencies: tel. 113. Hospital: Ospedalee Sant'Antonio Abate, Via Cosenza, very far from town (tel. 80 94 50).
  • ACCOMMODATIONS AND CAMPING The cheaper hotels can be found toward the end of the peninsula, in the heart of the old city. Don't let the youth hostel sign outside of the train station lure you; it's 12km from town and frequently overbooked.
  • Pensione Messina, Corso Vittorio Emanuele, 71 (tel. 211 98), on a Renaissance courtyard just a few blocks from P. S. Agostino. Big rooms, firm beds, pink bathroom. Run by a friendly, slightly rambunctious family. Closes at midnight. Singles L18,000/20,000. Doubles L35,000/40,000. Breakfast L3000. Showers L2000.
  • Albergo Morderno, Via Genovese, 20 (tel. 212 47). Turn right off Corso Vittorio Emanuele (heading away from P. S. Agostino) onto Via Roma, then take a left on Via Genovese. Trapani's oldest hotel. Quiet, clean rooms, all with a nautical theme. Singles L25,000, wich bach L40,000. Doubles L40,000, with bath L52,000. Triples L54,000, with bath L70,000.
  • Albergo Maccotta, Via degli Argentieri, 4 (tel. 284 18), behind the tourist office on P. Saturno. Quiet location and pleasant, airy rooms. Singles L30,000, with bath L40,000. Doubles L50,000, with bath L70,000. MC, Visa.
  • Albergo Nuovo Russo, Via Tintori, 4 (tel. 221 66; fax 266 23), off Corso V. Emanuele to the left. Six floors of wooden furniture, long carpets, and soft armchairs. You can live it up in this 3-star hotel at a low price, as long as you don't mind not having your own bathroom. All rooms have telephones; free TV upon reuest. English spoken. Singles L38,000, with bath L63,000. Doubles L70,000, with bath L100,000. Breakfast L5000. A/C L5000. Reserve one month ahead for Aug.
  • Camping: Capo San Vito and Castellamare del Golfo, on the opposite side of the cape, harbor most of the nearby campgrounds (buses daily to Castellamare at 12:30pm and 2:30pm, 1 1/2 hr., round-trip L6400). Near Capo San Vito: Camping La Fata, Via Mattarella (tel. 97 21 33), charges L7000 per person, L6500 per small tent, L11,500 per large tent. Camping Soleado, Via della Secca (tel. 97 26 88), charges L7500 per person, L7000 per small tent and L10,000 per large tent. Both open year-round. Near Castellamare del Golfo: Baia di Guidaloca (tel. 560 22); Lu Baruni (tel. 391 33); Nausicaa (tel. 315 18); and the cheapest, Ciauli (tel. 318 33), which charges L5500 per person, L5500 per small tent, L7500 per large tent. The other places charge about L1500 more. All open June-Sept., except Lu Baruni, which is open year-round.
  • FOOD Take your money to the open-air market in P. Mercato di Pesce (at the end of Via Torrearsa), and stock up on seafood. (Open Mon.-Sta. 8am-1pm.) This market is such an institution that the piazza was named after it. Pick up essentials at the supermarket Margherita, Via San Domenico, 32, between the port and the train station. (Open Mon.-Sat. 8am-1:30pm and 5-8pm.) Trapani is known for its sardines and its couscous con pesce. Also try a biscotto coi fichi, the Italian fig-newton; all of the bakeries along Corso V. Emanuele stock them for about L400 each. For a closed-air market, stop by the mini-Standa Via Liberta, 12 (tel. 211 14), right by the open-air market, on the 3rd floor. (Open 9am-1pm and 4:30-8pm).
  • Pizzeria Calvino, Via Nasi 77 (tel. 214 64), one block off Corso Vittorio Emanuele as you're headed toward the port. All of Trapani comes here for take-out pizza (small L5500) before soccer games. Savor lasagne al forno (L6000). Cover L3000. Sit-down or take-out. Open Tues.-Sun. noon-2pm and 5:30pm-1am.
  • Pizzeria Mediterranea, Corso Vittorio Emanuele, 195 (tel. 54 71 76). Wide range of delectable choices. Try the pizza organata (L6000) with tomatoes, garlic, oregano, anchovies, and pecorino cheese. Small L5000-6000, large L15,000-16,000. Service 20%. Open Fri.-Wed. 9am-1pm and 6pm-midnight.
  • Ristorante da Bettina, Via San Francesco d'Assisi, 69 (tel. 200 50), near the port at Via Serisso. A classy, Arab atmosphere with a bubbling fountain, large ceiling fan, and soft classical music. Pricey, but worth it. Try their specialty couscous con pesce (L9000). Open Tues.-Sun. noon-4pm and 7pm-1am. AmEx.
  • Trattoria da Salvatore, Via Nunzio Nase, 19, around the corner from Albergo Russo. Good food, but be wary of pushy waiters. Couscous L6500, bucatino con sarde L6000. Open Mon.-Sat. 9am-3pm and 7-11pm. AmEx.
  • SIGHTS AND ENTERTAINMENT You can tour most of Trapani's major sights in one fun-filled afternoon. Begin one block off Corso Italia on Via S. Elisabetta, where the Gothic-Renaissance Church of Santa Maria displays a beautiful marble canopy which shelters a della Robbia sculpture. Farther up Corso Italia you'll hit Piazza S. Agostino, which runs right into Piazzetta Saturno by way of ViaS. Agostino, where the buildings begin to get older and more ornate. Here you'll find the facade of the former Church of Sant'Agostino (14th century), which preserves a Gothic portal and rose window. The Fountain of Saturn, a triple-tiered basin supported by sirens, dates from the late 16th century. The main street of the old city, Corso Vittorio Emanuele I, areound the corner, is lined with elaborate facades. At one end, the 17th-century Palazzo Seratorio houses temporary art exhibits on its main floor; the Collegio dei Gesuiti (1636) contains an 18th-century carved-walnut cupboard; and the cattedrale displays a striking green-tiled dome and pink stucco walls. Down a small street to the left on Via Giglio, the tiny Boroque Chiesa del Purgatoio, Via San Francesco d'Assisi (tel. 213 21), sports a free-standing sculpture and a small emerald dome outside, and a group of 20 incomprehensible wooden statues inside. This collectin, called I Misteri (The Mysteries), is carried in a procession around the town on Good Friday. At this time, their bearers call out, asking if anyone knows whose they are or what they're used for. No one ever does, so they are returned to the church for another year. Their identities have been a mystery for over 600 years (and will probably remain so for 600 more). (Open Tues. 10am-noon, Fri. 10am-noon and 4-7pm) Viale Regina Elena runs along the port to Viale Duca l'Acosta, where fishermen dry and mend their nets. Trapani used to be supported by its tuna market; these fishermen are the last in the line of Trapani's rich tuna heritage. For a treat, get up at the crack of dawn, head down to see the fishermen do their stuff, and continue up to the tip of the city to see the sunrise at the Torre di Ligny, which doubles as a Museo di Preistorio (tel. 223 00. Open 9am-1pm and 4-8pm. Admission L2000.) From the Torre you can take Via Liberta past the fish market at Piazza Mercato de Pesce to Via Garibaldi, whose cream-colored palazzi are rivalled only by those of Corso V. Emanuele. Farther out in the new section of town, visit the Museo Nazionale Pepoli (tel. 55 32 69; fax 53 54 44). (It's a grueling walk; buses to the museum are run by SAU and they leave from Via G. Fardella, 2 blocks to the right of the station -- take bus #1 or 10, L700.) The museum's magnificent baroque staircase leads to a collection of loca sculpture, painting, coral carvings, and folk-art figurines. (Open Tue.-Sat. 9am-1pm; Tues. and Thurs.-Fri. also 3-pm; Sun. 9am-12:30pm. Admission L2000, Sun. free.) Trapani sponsors an annual festival of opera, ballet, and drama, Luglio Musicale Trapanese (tel. 229 34), which attracts troupes from abroad. It takes place in an open-air theater in the city park, the Villa Margherita, during the last three weeks of July. (Shows begin at 9pm. Admission from L15,000.) Settimana dell-Egadi, in late May, greets the new crop of tourists with music, food, and archaeological tours. At night the young and the restless populate the beer gardens in P. XVIII November or the gelaterie along Via Turetta, but only until 9pm, when the entire town seems to pass out.
  • ...end quote. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Miss Brandilyn Rae Douglass Kaiserslautern, GERMANY Rheinland-Pfalz WorldGenWeb Project Page Primary Researcher http://members.tripod.com/~brandilyn http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/6909 brandilyn@hotmail.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    • This is Giuseppe Guirreri born in Partanna, Trapani, Sicily holding his son Leo Guirreri born in Brooklyn in 1909.

    Giuseppe was a carpenter and cabinet maker. He served in the Italian Army in the 1890's and immigrated to the U.S. in 1899. He became a farmer and boarding house owner in Sussex County N.J.

    Please send suggestions and added Trapani Provine items to Col Joe Guirreri (Ret)
    This page is patterned after the Abuzzi pages by Cindy Salvarola...constructed by Ed. Salvarola
    This is a link to the Abruzzi Regional Pages

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