Castle of Venus

Castle of Venus
Castello di Venere
Erice, Sicily, Italy
The Castle of Venus, Erice
Site information
Type	Hilltop fortress
Open to the public	Yes
Condition	Partially ruined, consolidated
Location
Castle of Venus Location within Sicily
Coordinates	38°02′07.31″N12°35′28.58″E / 38.0353639°N 12.5912722°E / 38.0353639; 12.5912722
Site history
Built	12th century
Built by	Normans
Materials	Limestone

Castle of Venus (Italian: Castello di Venere) is a medieval fortress in Erice, built around the site of an ancient sanctuary of Venus Erycina at the summit of Monte Erice in western Sicily. ^{[1] [2]}

History

Main article: Eryx (Sicily)

Monte Erice has long held strategic and religious significance. A sanctuary noted by Thucydides in the 5th century BCE remained active through Carthaginian and Roman control, eventually rededicated to Venus Erycina. The Normans built the current castle in the 12th century using materials from the ancient site. ^{[3] [4]} It was later used as a prison before falling into disuse. ^[2]

Architecture and features

Site map of the Castle of Venus complex

The Castle of Venus displays a mix of architectural features from various historical periods. These include:

• A western wing with Gothic-style mullioned windows.
• A Roman bath structure located near the cliff edge.
• A circular well, referred to as the Well of Venus.
• Remains of a small medieval church known as Santa Maria della Neve.
• Defensive walls and a tower-like structure known as the colombaia (dovecote).

Access to the castle is via a stone ramp that replaced an earlier drawbridge connecting the fortress to the nearby Balio Towers. ^[5]

Excavations

Archaeological excavations were conducted in the 1930s by the Cultural Heritage Office of Trapani. These investigations focused on identifying remains of the ancient sanctuary. More recent studies have found Greek pottery and burial areas, supporting the site's long-standing religious function. ^[6]

Conservation

A restoration project funded by the Sicilian regional government was completed in 2025. The initiative included structural stabilisation and the adaptation of interior spaces for potential museum use. Additional funding was allocated to improve accessibility and visitor infrastructure. ^[7]

Gallery

• 
  West elevation
• 
  Aerial view
• 
  Entrance ramp

References

1. "Venus Castle - Erice Virtual Tour". Comune di Erice. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
2. Tusa, Matteo (2017). Erice: Planning for Life. Erice: Self-published. ISBN   9788892667327.
3. Lietz, Beatrice (2022). "Erice. Fonti storiche e archeologiche". In Ampolo, Carmine (ed.). La città e le città della Sicilia antica: atti delle ottave giornate internazionali di studi sull'area elima e la Sicilia occidentale nel contesto mediterraneo (Pisa, 18–21 December 2012) (in Italian). Quasar. ISBN   978-88-5491-263-2. hal-03908782.
4. Nenci, G.; Vallet, G., eds. (1989). "Erice". Bibliografia topografica della colonizzazione greca in Italia e nelle Isole Tirreniche, Volume 7 (in Italian). Vol. 7. Pisa–Rome: École Française de Rome / Centre J. Bérard, Naples. pp. 349–378.
5. "Il Castello di Venere". Fondazione Erice Arte (in Italian). Retrieved 27 May 2025.
6. De Vincenzo, Salvatore (2015). "The fortification wall of Eryx: A new definition of the settlement's construction phases and topographic development in light of recent excavations." Analysis Archaeologica, vol. 1, pp. 103–116. link
7. "Erice, pronto il primo stralcio dei lavori al Castello di Venere". Telesud (in Italian). 10 March 2025. Retrieved 25 May 2025.

External links

• Virtual tour of the Castle of Venus – from the Comune di Erice