June 10, 2018, in Erice

Sometimes the most isolated towns have the kindest people. The town of Erice lives in the clouds, worships a god, and bakes cookies for its visitors. Dear Nonas– thank you for your hospitality.

Photo & text by Veronica Paltaratskaya

Read more about Erice, from The Thinking Traveler:

Towering over the west of Sicily at 751m above sea level and often covered in its own personal cloud, Erice is a wonderfully preserved Mediaeval town offering the most breathtaking views and a palpable sense of history.

Originally an Elymian city (the Elymians were around before the Greeks ever set foot in Sicily) Erice, or Eryx as it was first called, was a town of no little importance and renown and is said to have attracted the likes Hercules and Aeneas.

Like so many Sicilian towns, it passed from one invader to another as all the usual suspects came and went, leaving their architectural calling cards and their cultural footprints. The name changed from Eryx, to Erice to Gebel Hamed and Monte San Giuliano but its essential character remained, obstinately repelling any attempt to change its real identity.