Western Sicily travel guide, tourism and highlights

Visit West Sicily

The western tip of Sicily includes the part of the island that falls west of a line drawn between Palermo and Agrigento (on the north and south coasts respectively).

Less visited than some parts of Sicily, in part due to its remoteness (although there is now motorways which run to both the north and south of the region), the western part of Sicily has several important highlights and places to visit.

Temples

There are a couple of very important temple sites to discover, each of which has great appeal and should feature as part of your visit.

These include the group of Ancient Greek temples at Selinunte and the lovely setting for the Elymian temple at Segesta.

South of Trapani

There is often an almost Arab-African feel to the towns and villages - this is due to the proximity to Tunisia, just a short journey across the Mediterranean and closer than much of mainland Italy (see Mozia, Marsala and Mazara del Vallo along the southern coast for examples).

The highlights along the coast here include the interesting town of Trapani which has several architectural highlights. Inland of Trapani is the striking medieval town of Erice which is one of the most beautiful villages of Sicily. Also inland of Trapani is the Natural reserve at Paceco.

Further inland is the town of Corleone famous for its Mafia connections and the home town of Vito Corleone in the film and novel 'The Godfather'.

Further south, on the coast, Marsala is a producer of white wine and home to a museum featuring a rare Punic warship. It also has an attractive centre. South of here is the fishing town of Mazara del Vallo and the historic town of Sciacca.

The Aegadian Islands including Favignana and Levanzo and Pantelleria Island off the western tip of Sicily all make pleasant excursions.

North of Trapani

The very beautiful Natural Reserve dello Zingaro is on the north coast of Sicily near to the pretty cove at Scopello. The nearby resort of Castellammare del Golfo is a pleasant base for visiting the reserve.

On the promontory near here is one of Sicily's largest sandy beaches at the popular resort of San Vito lo Capo.