Located on the summit of Mount Erice, on the ruins of an Elymian-Phoenician-Roman temple, in an absolutely privileged position, stands the so-called “Castle of Venus”.
In antiquity, Erice was known for its temple where the Phoenicians worshiped Astarte, the Greeks Aphrodite and the Romans Venus. Mount Eryx served as a landmark for navigators of whom Venus soon became the patroness. At night, a large fire lit in the sacred area served as a beacon. Venus Ericina’s fame became such that a temple was dedicated to her even in Rome and her cult spread throughout the Mediterranean.
What remains today of the ancient fortress was the work of the Normans, who seem to have reused material from the rebuilding of the temple of Venus ericina for its construction.
In ancient times the castle was enclosed by towers, works of advanced fortification connected to each other by two crenellated curtains and, above all, by a drawbridge, the same one mentioned by the Arab geographer Ibn-Giubayr (sec.XII).
