TrapaniPartanna.
An ancient Sican, Greek, Roman and Arab town, it derives its name either from its geographical position (Part'amna, "between two rivers" in Latin) or from its original condition (Parthenia, "virgin land" in Greek, or Barthamma, "dark land" in Arabic). The mediaeval town developed around the tower and the castle; in 1139 it became a fief of the Grifeos, who 500 years later, in 1627, were raised to the title of Princes, with the name Graffeo.

At the heart of the old town, overlooking two of the magnificent panoramic view-points (a notable characteristic of Partanna) dominating the two valleys, stands the fine Castle, originally Arab-Norman, rebuilt in the 14thc. and again in the 18th. It is a vast imposing building; the walls, battlements, court, garden and arms room are preserved in an excellent state. The same cannot unfortunately be said of the elegant sculptures by Laurana, of which only the Grifeo shield on the door of the arms room is still intact. A few steps away, in Via Vittorio Emanuele, is the elegant Chiesa Madre, Santa Maria della Catena, built between the 16th and 17th c. and restored after the earthquake in 1968; on the right side ofthe church, as we look at it, there is an elegant open gallery opening outin mid-air, an unusual feature. The church, which has a nave and two aisles, contains some good 17th c. paintings (including the Madonna del Rosario by Carreca and The Last Supper by Novelli), a fine wooden choir, a monumental organ designed by Paolo Amato, a holy wa ter stoup of the Laurana school, and precious stuccos by the Serpotta brothers and Vincenzo Messina in the two side chapels and the presbytery. A visit to the new quarter, Camarro, is quite interesting. This was built after the earthquake in 1968, in somewhat surrealistic style. At Montagna, a country area 1 km N of the town, is the new Sanctuary of the Madonna della Libertà, probably, a jewel of architecture built between 1975 and 1982, in reinforced concrete and characterized by its towering spire. At Stretto, another country area 2 km E of the town, a Bronze Age archaeological area has been brought to light.