Trapani.
The first nucleus of the city developed around a
Sican village, later ca11ed by the Greeks Drèpanon
(sickle), possibly because of the sickle-shaped
form of its gulf.In the 8th c. it became a Phoenician
port of call and, in the first Punic War, a Carthaginian
strategic base. After the victory of Lutatius Catulus
off the Egadi islands, Tràpani became civitas
romana, and under the Romans its livelihood depended
mainly on trade and maritime activities, without
however ever playing a particularly important role.
In AD 440 Tràpani was invaded by the Vanda1s,
in 477 it fell to the Byzantines, and in about 830
it was taken by the Muslims, who made it one of
the richest and most prosperous cities in Sicily,
developing its maritime activities and its gold
and cora1 handicraft. The process of Islamization
was so profound that it is still evident today in
place names and in certain local traditions and
customs. Trapani continued to prosper under the
Normans, who conqueredit in 1077, and elevated it
to the rank of a royal city. In 1282 it took part
in the uprising against the Angevins (the War of
the Sicilian Vespers) and thus got caught up in
the war between the Angevins and the Aragonese.
Between the 13th and the 15th c. the city layout
was extended with the construction of new quarters
and new streets and squares. In the late 16th c.
the city began to decline. In the following century,
under Char1es V, the town walls were fortified and
provided with massive bastions. Trade prospered
again and further developed with the production
of salt. Many new salt-pans were created, some of
which are stilI active even today. However, despite
all this, the 17th c. was mostly a period of virtual
economic stagnation and general decline. Tràpani
became the provincial capital in 1817, a position
it still possesses. It participated vigorously in
all the uprisings against the Bourbons and in 1860,
even before the arrival of Garibaldi and his army,
obliged them to flee from the city. Tràpani
was extensively bombed in World War II, and large
parts of the modern city are quite new.
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