This might be the most beautiful village in Sicily.
If we haven't met, we're Jana and Brett, and we're spending 5 days here in Erice, Sicily because
this is the exact village where my great grandparents lived before they emigrated
to the US in the early 1900s. And because of them, I have Italian dual citizenship.
And here in this village is where I am registered as an Italian citizen.
This medieval village is a super popular place for tourists and one of the best
villages to visit in Sicily. Because just look at this place and look at this view!
We put together an incredible 1-day itinerary of what you should see, do, and eat while you're here
in Erice, Sicily. So first of all, Erice is 750 meters above sea level, so how do you get up here?
There are 3 main ways that you can get up to Erice. The first is to drive your
car. The second is to ride a bus. And the third is to take the funicular. I
guess there is a fourth way: you could hike up, but it takes about 2 hours,
it's really steep, and the sun is going to be beaming down on you the whole time.
So let's read the funicular.
The bus leaves from the Port of Trapani and takes about 40 minutes along some very steep and winding
roads to arrive at Erice. But there are only about four buses every day. If you have a car, you can
either drive all the way up and park on top or you can park down at the funicular and ride up.
Obviously, we think this is just the simplest way to get up and down. So
that's why we're taking the funicular today. But no matter how you arrive,
you'll be dropped off here about a minute walk from the main gate.
This is the thousand year old Porta Trapani,
the Gate of Trapani. It opens up onto the main street of town via Vittorio Emanuele.
And the first thing you'll notice are the beautiful cobblestones. While they have lots
of medieval charm, they're really hard to walk on. So make sure you wear sturdy shoes when you
come to Erice. The first little bit is steep, but I promise it's not too far. You can do it!
Your first stop of the day should definitely be breakfast at Maria
Grammatico’s Pasticceria. You'll find pistachio in just about everything around
here. But there was one thing I did not expect to find it in, and that is coffee.
This looks incredible. It smells even better. And it's going to be perfect
with these desserts. There are lots of incredible and typical Sicilian treats.
We've tried a few of them, like cannoli, of course. We've got a few more to try right here.
This genovese, I've seen it everywhere. And this is the first time we're trying it, which is super
exciting to me. It just smells like a really good sugar cookie. Oh. It's little bit warm, man. Wow.
It’s so delicate. And nothing overpowers the other ingredients, like it's so well-balanced. Oh, yeah.
That is a sweet custard. Just smooth and delicate, that’s the only way I could describe this.
I almost imagine that if you took a vanilla wafer and heated it up so it was a little bit moist,
hollowed it out, then shoved some kind of cream or custard in it, and then
covered it with powdered sugar—that is what a Genovese would taste like. This is amazing.
But don't forget when you're eating powdered sugar not to breathe really deeply and
suck it down. I'm going to eat all of this, Jana will get none. Hey!
We also have a bello e brutto. It's funny because it's basically beautiful but ugly. And I think
the reason for that is because it doesn't really look that good but apparently it tastes amazing.
I'm not sure how to describe this, but it does look kind of like a drop cookie,
like it doesn't really have a shape or anything to it. You know,
I think if I was to describe it, I would call it ugly but beautiful.
Oh, yeah. Oh. It's crunchy. I didn’t think it would be crunchy.
Well, the inside is really doughy. And I get some kind of citrus hint. Maybe lemon,
maybe orange. That's so refreshing. Instead of being super sweet and sugary and filled
with normal flour, like everything here has almond flour, almond extract, or actual literal almonds.
Sometimes you eat cookies and it's so heavy, like all the sugar, all the butter in there.
But this is actually a light cookie. And I totally see why they're popular.
Way more bello than brutto, I must say myself.
Those are fantastic. I think I need to find the recipe for this one.
To be honest, I don't remember what this is called. We'll figure it out and put
it on the screen, it looks kind of like an empanada, but I bet it doesn't taste like an
empanada. It's filled with ricotta and, of course, covered with powdered sugar.
This does not look appetizing on the inside. I'm not sure why. It kind of
looks like when you take out food and spit it out. I know that's gross. But again,
you don't really care what the inside looks like, so let's see what it tastes like.
Oh, hold up. That's not what I expected.
Interesting. It's like a savory pastry.
Maybe I forgot that ricotta is not sweet, right? It's like, it's cheese.
But it also has something else mixed with the ricotta, but I can’t remember what .
I see why it's traditional, but not my favorite. Thankfully, the sugar on top really does help.
Overall, I think my favorite is the ugly one, but delicious one. Me too.
After breakfast is the perfect time to walk around and explore the beautiful village
of Erice. Allow yourself plenty of time to just wander and enjoy
these beautiful streets. This medieval village has so much history to offer.
In fact, the first record mentioned of this dates back to 200-400 B.C.
Sicily has been conquered by so many people over the years. In
the 1100s the Normans came here and named this place Monte San Giuliano.
But it wasn't until 1934 that the village regained its old name of Erice. And while you walk around,
don't miss all of the churches in the village. Maybe not all. There's a lot. The most famous
church in Erice is Chiesa Madre, or Mother Church. It was built here in the 1300s, and it
stands right next to a 28 meter tall bell tower, which they used to use as a lookout during wars.
Now, you do have to pay to enter the churches here in Erice,
but you can buy a card that gives you admission into multiple ones.
All of that walking has probably made you hungry. So now it's time for lunch
at one of our favorite spots in town. 6 years ago, when we first came to Erice,
we came to this cafe and the people who own it are so nice.
They literally say call them Nonno and nonna, which means grandpa and grandma. This is our
third time back. We showed them these pictures that we have from the last time we were here,
and they remembered us and they've been so kind to us ever since. He has
all these super fun tricks, pouring milk, flipping plates, it's a whole lot of fun.
So when you come here, come for lunch at nonno and nonna’s Cafe San Giuliano.
If you're enjoying this incredible village and delicious food as much as we are,
then hit that like button and let us know. Thanks! Thanks for the like!
After lunch is a great time to explore the castle, fortress,
and park of Erice. And it's a nice shady spot too.
This is the Castle of Venus. It was built in the 12th century by the Normans on top
of old ancient ruins. It's right next to Balio Castle. And interestingly enough,
the two used to be connected by a drawbridge. Right next to this castle are the beautiful
Balio Gardens, where you will always see people hanging out and enjoying the day.
On this side, you can see the Tyranean coast, the Golf of Trapani, and the tip of San Vito Lo
Capo. And on this side you can see the Trapani Salt mines and Egadi Islands. And if you're up
for it, take one of the panoramic walks or hikes around the outside of the village.
By now, all of that walking and exploring probably
has you hungry again, which means it's time for a snack.
If you're like us, we typically eat dinner around 6:30, and since the restaurants here
don't tend to open till 7:30 or 8, we usually need an afternoon snack. And this is perfect.
You can never try too many arancine and we think we found the best place in town. Now we've had
traditional ones with ragu and with meat. This one has burrata cheese and pistachio, and I'm pretty
sure it's going to be amazing, but I'm not sure how to eat it without getting completely messy.
Incredible. I have literally never had an arancine that is that like creamy and
gooey. There’s a perfect balance of crispy on the outside, soft and creamy on the inside. That
is amazing. Oh my gosh. That's incredible. Oh, so creamy and the nutty flavor from the pistachio.
Absolutely incredible. I love that it's fresh. And I mean,
it's fried, so it’s not the healthiest, but the rice is honestly super filling.
It reminds me a little bit of Rice-A-Roni, the San Francisco treat.
But that’s terrible comparison because it's actually way, way better. Oh, guys, you just
have to try this. I wish smell-o-vision existed so you could actually try it too.
The reason we came to this place is because we kept hearing that these are literally the
best arancine in town. And we totally agree. This guy's won so many awards.
He's been featured on Food Network, which means he must be great at what he does.
Huge fan of the arancine here. Also, they make them totally fresh so they haven't been sitting
out in the case all day. You only have to wait about 5 minutes or so. Completely worth it.
Grab your snack to go and walk around the village. This time to do some shopping.
Look out for some traditional souvenirs like ceramics, liquor, woven carpets,
salt from the Trapani salt flats, and modica chocolate.
If you don't need to catch the last bus or lift back down to Trapani,
then stay up here in Erice for a romantic dinner.
Our two favorite restaurants are the Gli Archi di Carlo
and Ristorante Monte San Giuliano. When you walk by early in the day,
be sure to make a reservation because they can definitely fill up quickly.
A Sicilian meal is an event in and of itself. So pick a good restaurant and be prepared to come
and stay for a while. It's not unusual at all for restaurants to only open at 7:30 or 8 p.m.,
and you'll see families with little kids in the restaurant until 11.
What we like to do is share the plates so we get a primo, which is usually a pasta,
a secondo, which is usually a meat or a fish plate. And then of course we share a dessert,
sometimes an espresso for me, and then often a digestivo. And Brett
forgot the wine! Of course, you have to try some wine when you come here.
In fact, you should try my favorite Sicilian wine, which is Nero d’Avola.
When you're here, you have to try the busiata pasta and basically anything
coated in pistachios. We had a lamb with pistachio on top, incredible desserts,
the local Erice digestivo, and of course…other stuff. Buon appetito!
Erice is so charming at night. So after dinner, make sure to do a little evening
stroll under the moonlight. After just a few minutes wandering around here at night,
you will already be planning your next trip to Italy. To help you out,
we made this playlist, so check it out and we'll see you there!