Trapani is a lovely city on the West Sicilian coast and it is one of the most romantic places in the Mediterranean Sea. The town is located in an unmatched natural scenery: rising between the sea and a mountain, framed by the Egadi islands on the West, the saltpans on the South, Mount Erice on the East and a mild and fertile hill landscape all around. Under Arab dominion, Trapani was a flowering centre for the production of salt, tuna, and coral. In the 16th century, Trapanese coral artisans made the city famous throughout the Old World. A gorgeous collection of works in coral is preserved in the local Museum.<BR>Bu the most attractive thing to know about Trapani is its origin, something in between History and Myth. The Elymians, of Phoenician extraction, named the city Drepanon, which translated means "sickle". Legend tells that Demeter, goddess of harvests and of plenty, whilst seeking her lost and beloved daughter dropped her sickle in a moment of despair, and as it fell to earth and landed by the sea, Trapani grew in its place, retaining the form of the Goddess' scythe.<BR>Moreover, as part of the religious culture of the city, Good Friday has a famous event in which twenty wooden statues depicting Christ's passion and death are paraded through the streets in solemnity in a fusion of folklore and faith, practised since the 1700's. Local gastronomy is a fascinating mix of Italian, Sicilian and oriental cookery: its specialities are fish couscous, sweet-and-sour aubergine caponata, lamb meat, almond pastries and ricotta cakes..Just go and try them!<BR>