Tramontana Walls and Beaches

Trapani is one of those cities where you can swim just outside its ancient walls. Starting from the flat rocks of the isthmus of Torre di Ligny, where the celebrated “Petra Palazzo” was once quarried, there are many places where you can swim, such as in the narrow beaches next to the Tramontana walls, where the characteristic “Porta Ossuna” opens, or continuing along the little beaches next to the whole urban area up to the slopes of Erice, where there are also numerous equipped bathing establishments.

Near the former fish market and under the so-called Tramontana walls, a short stretch of the city’s ancient walls, the sea gently laps the shore forming evocative little beaches of golden sand that in summer are a favourite destination of tourists and swimmers for their calm and crystal-clear waters.

Of the old walls, originally built at the end of the thirteenth century by King James of Aragon, then reinforced and enlarged by Emperor Charles V, only the short stretch remains that runs from the fish market square to the Conca bastion, now used as a promenade that lets you enjoy one of the most fascinating views of the city.

The rest of the circuit was demolished after the Unification of Italy when the city lost its status as a fortified place (1862). There are also traces here and there in the Impossibile, Conca and Imperiale bastions and in the Botteghelle gate.