Selinunte: how to get to one the most beautiful Sicilian archaeological sites

It’s one of the most beautiful Sicilian archaeological sites, must-see place during every holiday along Sicilian west coast. And it’s one of the place that you absolutely want to visit during your next vacation. Now, you need to know just this: how to get to Selinunte.

The Parco archeologico di Selinunte e cave di Cusa is in the municipality of Castelvetrano. The two main nearby cities are Palermo and Trapani.

From Palermo

• Take the state highway 624 to Menfi.
• From Menfi, take the state highway 115 to Rocchetta.
• From Rocchetta, take the state highway 115dir and follow the road signs to Selinunte/Agrigento.

The journey by car takes about one hour and thirty minutes.

From Trapani

• Take the A29/E90 motorway to Castelvetrano.
• Take Castelvetrano exit.
• From Castelvetrano, take the state highway 115dir and follow the road signs to Selinunte/Agrigento.

The journey by car takes about one hour and ten minutes.

What to see

The origin of the name is the wild parsley (selinon in Greek). The city was founded by the Megarians of Sicily in the Seventh century BC. Selinunte was, thanks to its strategic position, an important trading port.

Today, the remains of one of the most important Greek colonies in Sicily are:

• The acropolis;
• The Manuzza hill;
• The eastern hill, with the temple of Hera;
• The Gàggera western hill, with the sanctuary dedicated to Dèmetra Malophòros;
• The three necropoleis.

Near, about 13 kilometres, there are the cave di Cusa: the stone quarries from which the material used to build the city was extracted.

Image source: Flickr.com/photos/sicilianmama