The unfinished temple of Segesta is one of those must-see places that you must visit if you are traveling in northwestern Sicily.
Why?
Read on and keep your eyes peeled. You'll understand in a few seconds 😉.
Segesta Archaeological Park
Founded by the Elimos, like Erice, Segesta became a very powerful city that confronted and destroyed Senilunte, its eternal rival.
Although there are hardly any remains of its houses, streets or "urban life" in general, it still preserves 2 buildings in perfect condition (or almost):
The unfinished temple of Segesta.
And its theater overlooking the sea.
Practical information
- Access hours: open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (depending on the season).
- Parking: 5€ (single price).
- Entrance fee: 6€/adult (3€ reduced price).
- Bus to the theater (optional): 1.5€. You must buy the ticket at the bar and it leaves every 30 minutes.
The temple of Segesta
It is said that the key to the fact that this temple built on the outskirts of the city is so well preserved is precisely that it was never finished.
- No, the roof has not fallen in. There never was.
- No, the engravings have not deteriorated. No one "scratched" the columns.
- No, there were no walls inside. What you see is what was there.
Scholars themselves do not agree on why.
However, its location away from the city and the lack of contents inside it have allowed it to remain intact, free from looting and other "mischief" until today.
Curiosity: during my second visit in 2016, I was told that one of the hypotheses is that it was created in a moment of urgency just to appear powerful from a distance in front of rival eyes.
If true, it's amazing what envy does....
Access
You can reach it on foot from the entrance (I indicate the access road on the map at the end of the article).
But, above all, don't miss the views of the temple from the path leading up to the theater.
The theater of Segesta
This stone semicircle is located at the top of Mount Barbaro, facing north, which gives it a breathtaking view of the Tyrrhenian Sea in the background.
It must be beautiful to be able to attend one of the plays performed here during the summer at the Calatafimi Segesta festival.
Access
Although it is only a 1.5 km ride between the entrance and the theater of Segesta, the slope is very steep, so if it is too hot or you find it difficult to walk, it would be best to opt to buy the bus ticket (1.5€, on sale at the bar).
My recommendation? Even if you paid for the bus, if you can, walk down if you can.
The views over the temple change according to the altitude and are not to be missed 😉.
How to get from Trapani
If you go by car (own or rented) you just have to leave Trapani following the A29dir/E933 road until you see the exit to Segesta. It will take you less than half an hour.
You can also take the Tarantola Bus (40-50 minutes).
Specifically, 3 buses leave Trapani for the park in the morning (8:00, 10:20, 14:00) and 2 return buses (13:10, 16:10).
But I recommend that you confirm these schedules before making plans at the Piazza Montalto station or at the tobacco shop where tickets are purchased (I've marked it on the map at the end of this post).
What to see in the surroundings
Castellammare del Golfo
In our case, we took advantage of our visit to Segesta to go to the nearby coast and visit Castellammare del Golfo, a fishermen's town with a picturesque harbor 😉.
There we devoured a good plate of pasta with "frutti di mare" at the pizzeria La Timpa.
It offers good views and the food is good, although I remember that I didn't like the house white wine at all (I returned it without problems). It's been 5 years since then, so the wine is probably not the same anymore 🙂
We then continued along the coastal road in the direction of Trapani and took the opportunity to stop at the viewpoint with the best views of Castellammare del Golfo (marked on the map).
No, it's not a miniature. Nahuai was just playing with the effects of the newly released camera 🙂 🙂
La Tonnara di Scopello
Instead of continuing straight to Trapani, we took a detour to visit this photogenic cove of rock and cement.
But when we got there it seemed too much to pay 4€ per head to only step on it for a few minutes (since that April day was not very beachy...).
So we took some pictures from above and continued on our way.
According to what I've read, they have a maximum capacity of people that ends very early in the summer, so if you want to enjoy a day of sun and beach there, I recommend being at the door a little before they open (9:00 am).
Where to stay
There is a wide range of hotels in the area around Segesta and Castellammare del Golfo.
However, our base camp for the entire week we spent in Sicily in 2014 was Villa Delle Palme Delfina, a B&B just outside Trapani that had the Eryx mountain as a backdrop.
The place was beautiful, very well kept and comfortable.
We had a terrace area next to the room for exclusive use and we were given a photographic book of the area and a bottle of Sicilian wine that was delicious.
In addition, the breakfast included in the price was spectacular. Not a single detail was missing.
The only downside (to name a few) is that in the morning the noises from the kitchen woke us up earlier than we wanted and that breakfast was served at a huge round table, with the rest of the guests and Antonio, our host.
If you like to wake up slowly and without much conversation, you may have to calculate at what time the others have finished (we did it on occasion to have breakfast more quietly).
We spent 7 nights for 541€. in a double room (77€/night).
Useful Links
- Calatafimi Segesta Festival, official website.
- Hotel offers in Segesta.
- B&B Villa delle Palme Delfina.
- Flights to Italy:Trabber,eDreams,Momondo, andVueling.
- 5% discount when you take out your adventure travel insurance with IATI.
And if you are on route in the west of Sicily do not miss it:
- Complete 7-day tour of Sicily.
- Trekking in the Zingaro Nature Reserve.
- Discover Erice: a medieval village on the heights of Sicily.
- Bike tour to the island of Favignana.
- Trekking in Sicily: around Mount Cofano.
It is a pleasure to read your reviews. They are so well told that the proposals are always appetizing.
Thank you, Mara! 🙂