The western part of Sicily has long been undeveloped. However with hosting the Americas cup and the opening of it's own international airport, Trapani has become a popular destination. Trapani is a quiet town with a beautifull small but lively historic baroque centre. A few times a day ferries sail to the nearby Egadie islands like Favignana and Marettimo. Also the ferry to Tunis departs from Trapani.

Throughout the whole area enormous stretches of the sloping hills are covered with grape plants for the production of some world famous wine etiquettes, of which the best known of course is the sweet wine of Marsala. The region had already been known for its fine grapes for a long time when, in 1796 the Englishman, John Woodhouse, introduced the 'fortified wine' business here (having already developed the similar port wine in Portugal). Now Florio is one of the largest producers in the area.

The area is furthermore renowned for seafood and especially cuscus (every year a Cuscus festival is held in San Vito Lo Capo) and famous for its tuna fishing; one can find a variety of typical tuna products in cute local shops. Delicious as appetizers to accompany a glass of good wine while sitting on your balcony watching the marvellous sunset!

Discover the unspoilt area with some beautiful spots of great interest: Segesta with its theatre and Doric temple, the medieval town of Erice surrounded by Phoenician-Punic walls, the salt pans near Trapani. There's Selinunte, a large archelogical site, Marsala and the Phoenician Mothya which reflect the waters of the Stagnone.

Originally established some 3,000 years ago, Erice is an enchanting medieval city. From its thrilling mountaintop setting, two sheer cliffs drop 743m (2,438 ft.) to vistas across the plains of Trapani and down the west coast of Sicily.

Just south of Trapani you can visit the salt lakes on the island of Mozia, the historic town of Marsala famous for the wines that is named after it. Also the wonderful archeological sites of Segesta and Selinunte are an easy reach.
Palermo is just an hour from Trapani. You can easily stay 7-10 days in this area, since there is a lot to see and to do.

Further south along the coast lies the sea town of Sciacca. It owes its origins to the Saracens, who settled there in the 9th century. Although the origins of the town's name have been much debated, it is thought to have come from the Arabic word "xacca", meaning "water". The Saracens built the original walls and laid out the street grid, which was later expanded by the Normans. Throughout much of the Middle Ages, the town was at the center of a bloody feud between rival baronial families and, it was the citizenry that bore the brunt of the fighting; in less than 100 years over half the population was killed by one side or the other!

While the seaside towns of Mazara del Vallo, Marsala and Trapani have long stretches of sandy beach, the best beach is undoubtedly in San Vito lo Capo with the clearness of the water, the cleanliness of its beach, which has long expanses of sand, the beautiful tropical palm trees and an important matter: the vicinity to shops, bars and restaurants.