Casa Santa: Beach, Tonnara and Erice

Casa Santa is a destination for you if you want to combine coastal scenery, local culture and an excursion to Erice in one travel itinerary. San Giuliano, the San Cusumano Tonnara, a sports park with sea views and a mural each offer a different focus. The Trapani–Erice cable car adds a journey up Monte Erice to this selection.

San Giuliano and the Coastal Features

San Giuliano Beach is a sandy beach approximately 1,200 metres long. It stretches from the municipal boundary with Trapani to the southwestern end of the natural reef around the San Cusumano Tonnara. The coastline has three low rocky reefs projecting into the sea, which define two coves with sand and gravel deposits. At the northeastern end of San Giuliano Beach, a low natural reef emerges.

The beach can be accessed through openings in the wall along Lungomare Dante Alighieri; at these points, wooden stairs lead down to the sand. Erice Smile Beach is an easily accessible beach facility operated by the Municipality of Erice. When planning your visit, you can therefore distinguish between the access through the wall openings described above and a beach facility with easy access.

Tonnara, Saltworks and Local History

The San Cusumano Tonnara, together with its surroundings, is the site of a tuna-processing plant operated by the company Nino Castiglione. A publicly accessible footpath runs through the Giardini della Tonnara di San Cusumano, allowing visitors to cross the Tonnara grounds in order to reach the coast. The park is privately owned and is open to the public under an agreement with the municipal administration.

The former San Cusumano saltworks comprise a salt house and a windmill dating from the 17th century. Today, the complex has been converted into tourist accommodation, the I Mulini Resort. Along this stretch of coast, you will therefore encounter traces of the former saltworks as well as a present-day tourist use.

Sports Park with Sea Views

The Giardino dello Sport “Falcone Borsellino” is a sports park of approximately 35,000 m² with sea views. It includes an extensive green area, a children’s play area, several outdoor sports facilities and a covered multipurpose facility. The play area and the variety of spaces in particular make the park a destination in its own right for families, while the sea views also integrate the site into the coastal landscape.

Cable Car to Erice and Panoramic Road

The valley station of the Trapani–Erice cable car is located on the SP 31 to Erice, at the corner with Via Capua. The cable car reaches the summit of Monte Erice in approximately ten minutes. Another notable transport link is Strada Provinciale No. 20: it is considered a panoramic road, connects Trapani with Bonagia, a coastal district of Valderice, and shapes the entire coastline within the Municipality of Erice for functional reasons as well, in connection with the use of the coast.

Mural in the Local Area

“Il Giardino di Nino Via” is a mural project carried out in 2017 by the municipal administration of Erice. Pupils from Scuola Media Antonino De Stefano and I. Circolo didattico Giovanni Pascoli di Erice, as well as the cultural association “Antonino Via – Eroe Contemporaneo”, contributed to it. The project is dedicated to commemorating Nino Via. The mural is located on a building opposite Piazzetta Antonino Via, between Via Capua and Via Fratelli Aiuto in Casa Santa.

More Destinations

More destinations: Guarrato, Triscina, Buseto Superiore, Marausa, San Vito Lo Capo, Scauri, Gibellina, Alcamo.

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