Trapani

Trapani  () is a ceety an comune on the wast coast o Sicily in Italy. It is the caipital o the Province o Trapani. Foondit bi Elymians, the ceety is still an important fishin port an the main gateway taw the nearbi Egadi Islands.

History
Trapani wis foondit bi the Elymians tae serve as the port o the nearbi ceety o Erice (auncient Eryx), which owerleuks it frae Monte San Giuliano. The ceety sits on a law-lyin promontory juttin oot intae the Mediterranean Sea. It wis oreeginally namit Drépanon frae the Greek wird for "sickle", acause o the curvin shape o its harbour. Carthage seized control o the ceety in 260 BC, subsequently makkin it an important naval base, but cedit it tae Roum in 241 BC follaein the Battle o the Aegates in the First Punic War.

Twa auncient legends tell o meethical oreegins for the ceety. In the first legend, Trapani stemmed frae the sickle which fell frae the haunds o the goddess Demeter while she wis seekin for her dochter Persephone, who haed been kidnapped bi Hades. The seicont meeth featurs Saturn, god o the sky, who evisceratit his faither Cronus wi a sickle which, fawin intae the sea, creatit the ceety. In auncient times Saturn wis the god-protector o Trapani. The day Saturn's statue staunds in a piazza in the centre o the ceety.

Efter the Roman, Vandal, Byzantine an (frae the 9t century) Arab dominations, Trapani wis conquered bi the Normans o Roger I, flourishin unner thair dominations an haein an aw a role in the Crusades as ane o the maist important ports in the Mediterranean Sea. In the 17t century the ceety decayed due tae revolts, plagues an famines; housomeivver in the follaein century it grew frae 16,000 tae 30,000 indwallers; commerce remained o local importance, while its military poseetion in the Kinrick o Naples remained notable.

The ceety wis badly damaged durin Warld War II when it wis subjectit tae intense Alleed bombardments. It haes grown greatly syne the end o the war, sprawlin oot virtually tae the fuit o Monte San Giuliano. Tourism haes grown in recent years due tae the ceety's proximity taw popular destinations sic as Erice, Segesta an the Egadi Islands.

Economy
Hintle o Trapani's economy still depends on the sea. Fishin an cannin are the main local industries, wi fishermen uisin the mattanza technique tae catch tuna. Coral is an aw an important export, alang wi salt, marble an marsala wine. The nearbi coast is lined wi numerous salt-pans.

The ceety is an aw an important ferry port, wi links tae the Egadi Islands, Pantellerie, Sardinie an Tunisie. It an aw haes its awn airport, the Trapani-Birgi Airport.

Main sights

Hintle o the auld ceety o Trapani dates frae the later medieval or early modren periods; thare are nae extant remains o the auncient ceety. Mony o the ceety's historic biggins are designed in the Baroque style. Notable monuments include:

 The Kirk o Sant'Agostino (14t century, wi the splendid rose-windae
 The Kirk o Santa Maria di Gesù (15t-16t centuries)
 The magnificent Basilica-Sanctuary o Maria Santissima Annunziata (an aw cried "Madonna di Trapani") oreeginally biggit in 1315–1332 an rebuilt in 1760. It hooses a marble statue o the Madonna o Trapani, which micht be the wirk o Nino Pisano, an wi the  museum Agostino Pepoli.
 Fontana di Tritone ("Triton's Foontain")
 The Baroque Palazzo della Giudecca  or Casa Ciambra.
 The Cathedral (biggit in 1421, but restored tae the current appearance in the 18t century bi Giovanni Biagio Amico). It includes an Annunciation attributit tae Anthony van Dyck.
 Kirk o Maria SS. dell'Intria, anither notable ensaumple o Sicilian Baroque.
 Kirk o Badia Nuova, a smaw Baroque kirk.

Monte Erice is a cable caur ride frae the ceety an aside frae the cobbled streets an medieval castle, thare are views o Tunisie an Africae frae up thare on clear days.

Thare are several beaches runnin alang the coast o Trapani, the best o which are at Marausa aboot 9 km sooth o the ceety.

Climate

Cultur 

The ceety is renouned for its Pace relatit Holy Week activities an tradeetions, culminatin atween Guid Friday an Holy Seturday in the Processione dei Misteri di Trapani, colloquially simply the Misteri di Trapani (in Scots the Procession o the Mysteries o Trapani or the Mysteries o Trapani), a day lang passion procession organized an sponsored bi the ceety's guilds, featurin twinty floats o lifelike wid, canvas an glue sculpturs, maistly fraw the 17t an 18t centuries, o individual scenes o the events o the Passion.

The Misteri are amangst the auldest continuously runnin releegious events in Europe, haein been played ivery Guid Friday syne afore the Pace o 1612. Runnin for at least 16 continuous oors, but occasionally well ayont the 24 oors, thay are the langest releegious festival in Sicily an in Italy.

Transport

Trapani-Birgi Airport, a military-ceevil jynt uise airport (third for traffeck on the island). Recently the airport haes seen an increase o traffeck thanks tae law-cost carriers frae aw pairts o Europe (es. Lunnon-Stansted an Lunnon-Luton, Paris Beauvais, Dublin, Bruxelles, Munich, Frankfurt, Eindhoven, Stockholm).

Sport
Frae 28 September tae 9 October 2005 Trapani wis the location o Acts 8 an 9 o the Louis Vuitton Cup. This sailin race featurt, amang ither entrants, aw the boats that teuk pairt in the 2007 America's Cup.

Internaitional relations

Twin touns — Sister ceeties
Trapani is twinned wi:
 Constanţa, Romanie
 Les Sables-d'Olonne, Fraunce

 References 

Freemit airtins

 Museum Agostino Pepoli  


Category:Municipalities o the Province o Trapani
Category:Sicilian Baroque
Category:Auncient Greek ceeties
Category:Mediterranean port ceeties an touns in Italy