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Bonagia was a tuna fishery with a handful of houses around it that aroused the mad appetites of rascals arriving from land and sea. Today the building is an elegant hotel. Valderice lovingly conceals bagli and country villas, which are the sign of the agricultural exploitation of these lands that began in 1602. Ancient square-shaped buildings, fortified, self-sufficient, built near springs and in a dominating position. There lived nobleman, tax-collectors, overseers. Nor should one neglet the nineteenthe-century country casene which often amaze you because of the tropical plants planted by their cultured owners. It is a mervellous succession of lush gardens that satiate the senses as you pass by. This bagli and this casene villas are still redolent of an ancient culture, and one can breathe the air of the ancient customs and traditions of a rural civilization. The work of entrepeneurs is recalled in the elegant nineteenth-century Molino Excelsior in the ward of San Marco. An example of industrial archaeology and the characteristic sign of an epoch. The lively local culture revolves around the Teatro San Barnaba: a sort of Roman amphitheatre located in a site of enchanting beauty, where on warm summer nights it is possible to enjoy music, cinema, dancing and theatre. The Santuario della Misericordia was built in 1637 at the foot of an olive tree where there was a little chapel with the image of the Virgin Mary. Inside this Sanctuary there is a fine painting of the Trinity and the Virgin. This large painting was commissioned in 1654 from the young Trapani-born painter Andrea Carreca. At Paparella, near what people call the “Cavalier’s” watering-place, are the ruins of a curious little temple erected in 1747. A resting place for the Virgin of Custonaci when she was borne in procession to Erice. (English extract by “Invito a Trapani, Valderice, Erice” Azienda Provinciale Turismo Trapani)
The history of Valderice, connected to the Chartaginians first, the to the Normans, begins with the settlement of the first inhabitants on top of Mount Erice, strategic position whether for the sighting or defence from the external attacks. At the end of the struggles between Chartagine and Rome to establish control over the Mediterranean sea, the importance of Erice begun to decline and its inhabitants transferred to the confortable valley on the slopes of the mount, forming substantial communities. Testimonies of the ancient rural civilization wich dominated the economy for centuries are represented by the “bagli”, typical rural buildings used as home and as agricultural warehouses.
These still show their magnificence, sometimes intact, sometimes in the form of ruins: Baglio Santa Croce, today, thanks to an accurate work of restoration is used as hotel with furniture in style; the “Baglio Xiare” that looks like a fortress, has a panoramic view, built not far from a private watch-tower near the sea. There are also: the Bourbon Regime on the eve of the landing of the Mille; Villa Salerno Barberi, surronded by a park rich in citrus and Mediterranean plants; Villa Battiata (1756) with a square plan, two cylindrical battlement towers and a chapel containing a picture of our Lady of Custonaci.
(English extract by “Valderice, between the sky and the sea”, translation by Dott.ssa A. Torrente) |
