Editing Erice (section)

== History ==
Erice held significant strategic and religious importance across millennia. It has been called: ''Irka'' (used by the [[Sicani]] and [[Elymians]]), ''Erech'' (by the [[Phoenicians]] and [[Carthaginians]]), ''Eryx'' (by the [[Ancient Greece|Greeks]] and [[Ancient Rome|Romans]]), Monte San Giuliano during the medieval period, and finally Erice in modern times, with the mountaintop settlement now often referred to as Erice ''Vetta'' (summit).<ref name="Tusa2017" />

=== Antiquity ===
{{Main|Eryx (Sicily)}}

The origins of Erice remain uncertain, but the settlement likely emerged by the 10th–7th centuries BCE, developing both as a sanctuary site of indigenous worship and as a strategically fortified location.<ref name="Tusa2017" /> Historical sources date the site to at least the 6th or 5th century BCE.<ref name="LietzZirone2017" /> Under the Elymians, Phoenicians, and Carthaginians, Erice developed as a sanctuary-fortress with a settlement protected by fortifications now known as the Elymian-Punic Walls.<ref name="Tusa2017" />

The ancient city’s population was fluid and largely shaped by its religious role. There is evidence that the settlement was a centre of trade, defence, hospitality and transport. Following the Roman conquest of Sicily, Erice was classified as a ''civitas censoria'', the name for a city formally annexed into Roman territory.<ref name="Tusa2017" /> The city was also a religious centre and Thucydides records Athenian ambassadors being shown a sanctuary of the goddess.<ref name="LietzZirone2017" />

Now known as the Temple of Venus Erycina, the sanctury had fallen into decline due to a reduction in pilgrimage and financial support during the first century CE. A delegation from [[Segesta]] appealed to Emperor [[Tiberius]] for funds from the Roman treasury to assist with its restoration. The fact that the request came from Segesta suggests that Erice, by this time, lacked the civic structure or political autonomy to advocate on its own behalf, functioning primarily as a religious site rather than a populated polis with institutions or local governance.<ref name="Tusa2017" />

=== Medieval Period ===
The modern settlement of Erice began in the Norman period, following centuries of silence in historical sources. Revived by the Norman kingdom’s African policy, the city regained strategic importance, and the mountain once again served as a defensive stronghold overlooking the [[Strait of Sicily]]. During the medieval period, the city became known as Monte San Giuliano.<ref name="Tusa2017" />

The 12th-century traveller Ibn Giubayr described the site as having abundant springs, cultivated fields and vineyards on the mountain, and a fortress accessible by a bridge. Monte San Giuliano held an intermediate status in the medieval territorial hierarchy, positioned between a ''civitas'' and a ''casale'', and was classified as a ''terra'' (land).<ref name="Tusa2017" />

During this period, the city began to take on its present-day character and layout. The Norman fortress, now called the Castle of Venus, was built to strengthen Erice’s strategic position. Several important buildings also date from this time, including the [[Chiesa Matrice, Erice|Chiesa Matrice]] (Mother Church) and the Palazzo Municipale (formerly the Palazzo Giuratorio), which replaced the earlier town hall at the Balio Towers—a structure that had also served as a fortified gateway to the castle. The city developed around three main hubs, connected by the “Royal Road” (now Via Albertina degli Abati) and the “Great Road” (now Via Vittorio Emanuele II). Wealthy and noble families expanded their estates by combining neighbouring properties.<ref name="Tusa2017" />

Additional palaces constructed during or after the late medieval period include:
* '''Palazzo Ventimiglia''' (later the Convent of San Francesco), Via San Francesco, 14th century
* '''Palazzo Platamone''', Via Vittorio Emanuele II, 14th–19th century
* '''Palazzo Chiaramonte''' (later the Convent of San Domenico), Via Vittorio Emanuele II, 14th century

As Christianity spread, former pagan sites were turned into churches and convents. Churches built during this time include the Church of San Martino (''Chiesa San Martino'') on Via Pietro Salerno, the Church of San Giuliano (''Chiesa di San Giuliano'') on Via Roma, and the Church of San Giovanni Battista (''Chiesa San Giovanni'') on Via San Giovanni. In 1494, under orders from [[Ferdinand the Catholic]], the city expelled its large Jewish community.<ref name="Tusa2017" />

As Erice entered the early modern period, its population grew from 7,657 in 1584 to around 12,000 by the late 1600s. At its height, the city controlled much of the surrounding countryside in what is now the province of Trapani. This was Erice’s most prosperous period, and many of the palaces and churches built at the time still stand today. The streets were paved with decorative patterns using small stones—a feature that remains a distinctive part of Erice today.<ref name="Tusa2017" />

=== Modern Period ===
Following a peak of civic influence in the 18th century, Erice entered a prolonged period of demographic and institutional decline. In the late 18th century, Bourbon land reforms redistributed public lands through [[emphyteusis]], encouraging rural settlement and the formation of new villages such as [[Custonaci]] and [[San Vito Lo Capo]]. As administrative functions shifted to larger centres like [[Trapani]], many noble families and residents relocated, leaving the hilltop town increasingly depopulated and economically peripheral.<ref name="Tusa2017" />

In the 19th century, new efforts to preserve and beautify the historic town emerged. The [[Balio Gardens]] (''Giardino del Balio'') were created in 1872 by Count Agostino Sieri Pepoli, who leased the Balio Towers (''Torri del Balio'') and surrounding grazing land from the city. In return, he restored the towers and developed a public garden. He also built the Pepoli Turret (''Torretta Pepoli''), a small neo-Gothic building set on a rocky outcrop to the east of the gardens.<ref name="Tusa2017" />
 
In 1934, the town of Monte San Giuliano was renamed Erice. Just five years later, in 1939, the Second World War began. A Luftwaffe Operations Centre (associated with ''[[Zerstörergeschwader 26]]'' and ''[[Jagdgeschwader 27]]'' which operated out of the nearby [[Trapani–Milo Airport]] was located on the slopes of Monte Erice from early 1943 until they were forced by Allied air raids to relocate.<ref name= Holland>{{cite book |last= Holland |first= James |title= Sicily '43: The First Assault on Fortress Europe |year= 2020 |location= London |publisher= Bantam Press |pages= 383 |type= Hardback |isbn= 978-1-7876-3293-6}}</ref>   Following the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943 troops of the 2nd Battalion of the [[505th Infantry Regiment (United States)| 505th Infantry Regiment]] [[Seventh United States Army| Seventh Army]] under the command of Major Mark Alexander began on 22 July 1943 to climb up the side of Monte Erice in order to secure the town and its commanding position overlooking the surrounding countryside. As they did so they came under artillery fire from Italian forces stationed on the ramparts with one soldier being killed and another wounded. Realising that the safest position was directly under the walls of town, the lead troops took shelter there. Rather than waiting on artillery support to arrive the decision was then made for F Company to attack. However, before the troops had come close enough to engage them the Italian forces signalled their surrender.<ref name= Holland/>

Erice emerged from the post-war period with much of its medieval character remarkably intact. In more recent decades, efforts to preserve and restore this heritage began in earnest, with restoration of the ancient city walls starting in the 1970s and continuing with a €2 million consolidation project approved in 2023 under Italy’s PNRR programme. The Balio Gardens were restored between 2019 and 2024, and additional works—such as the renewal of the San Nicola sports field and Porta Spada gymnasium—have improved recreational infrastructure with a combined investment of over €3 million.<ref>{{cite web |title=Approvato in linea amministrativa il progetto dei "Lavori di restauro e consolidamento delle Mura Elimo-Puniche della Città di Erice" |url=https://www.comune.erice.tp.it/it/news/119798/approvato-in-linea-amministrativa-il-progetto-dei-lavori-di-restauro-e-consolidamento-delle-mura-elimo-puniche-della-citta-di-erice |website=Comune di Erice |date=19 June 2023 |language=it |access-date=23 May 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Erice, lo storico Giardino del Balio torna al suo antico splendore |url=https://trapani.gds.it/articoli/economia/2023/11/18/erice-lo-storico-giardino-del-balio-torna-al-suo-antico-splendore-d0d735da-105d-4648-acd7-0670df6c5eae/ |website=Giornale di Sicilia |date=18 November 2023 |language=it}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Campo San Nicola e palestra Porta Spada, al via i lavori delle opere pubbliche finanziate con fondi PNRR (€1.450.000,00 e €1.714.524,85) |url=https://www.comune.erice.tp.it/it/news/119794/campo-san-nicola-e-palestra-porta-spada-al-via-i-lavori-delle-opere-pubbliche-finanziate-con-fondi-pnrr-1-450-000-00-e-1-714-524-85 |website=Comune di Erice |date=15 November 2023 |language=it |access-date=23 May 2025}}</ref>

Recent studies have called for more inclusive and sustainable heritage strategies to address long-term challenges such as depopulation, inaccessibility, and seasonal tourism pressures. Proposals include the creation of accessible walking routes, a wellbeing park near the ancient walls, and improved visitor resources such as digital guides and interpretive signage. These efforts aim to balance conservation priorities with broader goals of health, community engagement, and inclusive cultural access.<ref name="conservation">{{cite conference | last1 = Abbate| first1 = Giuseppe | last2 = Germanà | first2 = Maria Luisa | last3 = Savarese | first3 = Raffaele |last4 = Trapani | first4 = Ferdinando | title = From Conservation to Revitalization. Ambiguous and Critical Conditions in the Heritage Conservation Experiences of Erice | book-title = Conservation of Architectural Heritage | year = 2022 | pages = 239–258 | publisher = Springer | chapter = 1}}</ref>