Casa Santa: Beach, Coast and Erice

Casa Santa combines coastal landscapes, local history and a variety of places for shared discoveries. San Giuliano Beach, the Giardino dello Sport “Falcone Borsellino,” the Tonnara San Cusumano and distinctive cultural projects give the area different facets. When choosing your accommodation, it is therefore important to consider whether you would like to focus primarily on the sea, the landscape, culture or excursions around Erice.

San Giuliano and the Coast

San Giuliano Beach is a sandy beach that stretches from the municipal boundary with Trapani to the southwestern end of the natural reef around the Tonnara San Cusumano. It is approximately 1,200 metres long. The coastline is characterised by three low rocky reefs extending into the sea, which border two bays with sand and gravel deposits. At the northeastern end of San Giuliano Beach, another low natural reef emerges. Along this stretch of coast, sand, gravel and rocky formations therefore alternate.

The beach can be accessed through openings in the wall along the Lungomare Dante Alighieri. At these openings, wooden stairs lead down to the beach. Those wishing to explore the coast more closely can also use a public footpath through the Giardini della Tonnara di San Cusumano. It allows visitors to cross the Tonnara grounds to reach the coast. The park is privately owned and is open to the public on the basis of an agreement with the municipal administration.

Sports, Sea Views and an Accessible Beach Facility

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 multi-purpose facility. In addition to the beach, Casa Santa therefore also presents a landscaped side of the coast where play, exercise and recreation come together. Erice Smile Beach is an accessible beach facility operated by the municipality of Erice and expands the options by the sea with an explicitly accessible offering.

Tonnara, Salt Pans and Contemporary Remembrance Culture

The Tonnara San Cusumano in Casa Santa, together with its surroundings, is the site of a tuna-processing plant operated by the Nino Castiglione company. The former San Cusumano salt pans tell another chapter of the coast’s history. They include a salt house and a windmill dating from the 17th century. The complex has now been converted into tourist accommodation, the I Mulini Resort.

Casa Santa is also home to “Il Giardino di Nino Via,” a mural project with clear local roots. In 2017, the municipal administration of Erice created it together with students from the Scuola Media Antonino De Stefano and the I. Circolo didattico Giovanni Pascoli di Erice, as well as the cultural association “Antonino Via – Eroe Contemporaneo.” 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.

Panoramic Road and Cable Car to Erice

For orientation in the surrounding area, the valley station of the Trapani–Erice cable car is a prominent landmark. It is located on the SP 31 to Erice, at the corner of Via Capua. The cable car reaches the summit of Monte Erice in approximately ten minutes. Another perspective on the coast is offered by 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 also for functional reasons related to the use of the coast.

If you are looking for a hotel in Casa Santa, you can combine it with different holiday priorities: the long sandy beach of San Giuliano, the varied coastline, sports and play facilities, historic sites or the connection between Trapani and Erice. For further travel planning, you can also compare Mazara Del Vallo, Custonaci, Marettimo, Biscione, Santa Ninfa, Guarrato, Petrosino and Kamma.

For the higher-level travel overview: Trapani.