Erice City Gates

The city gates are to be considered an integral part of the impregnable circle of walls of Erice that was enhanced in the Norman era, in which new and larger doors were created (Porta Trapani, Porta Carmine and Porta Spada).

Specifically, the visible doors of the village of Erice are: Porta Trapani, which opens in the direction of the city capital of the province, it is an important route of access and communication, in which two strong bastions flank its ogival shape. Porta Spada, on the other hand, has a more evocative name, referring to the massacre carried out by the Angevins during the insurrection of the “Vespro” in its vicinity. Finally, there is Porta Carmine, located in front of the homonymous church, characterized by the niche with the limestone statue of St. Albert (now headless) that dominates it.  

Of the fourth door, that of Castellammare, the remains of its mighty base have been identified following recent excavation campaigns in the northern area of the town, near the Spanish Quarter. This door, which takes its name because in the direction of Castellamare del Golfo, must have been the terminal of an ancient and important way of communication, the so-called “Trazzera di Bonagia“.