Province of Trapani
Province of Trapani
| |
|---|---|
| Free Municipal Consortium of Trapani Libero consorzio comunale di Trapani (Italian) | |
 The provincial seat | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Map highlighting the location of the province of Trapani in Italy | |
| Coordinates: 38°01′02″N 12°32′43″E / 38.01722°N 12.54528°E | |
| Country |  Italy |
| Region |  Sicily |
| Capital | Trapani |
| Municipalities | 25 |
| Government | |
| • President | Salvatore Quinci |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,469.62 km2 (953.53 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Total | 410,602 |
| • Density | 166.261/km2 (430.615/sq mi) |
| GDP | |
| • Total | €6.735 billion (2015) |
| • Per capita | €15,446 (2015) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 91100 |
| Telephone prefix | 0923–0924 |
| ISO 3166 code | IT-TP |
| Vehicle registration | TP |
| ISTAT | 081 |
The province of Trapani (Italian: provincia di Trapani; Sicilian: pruvincia di Tràpani; officially libero consorzio comunale di Trapani) is a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily, Italy. Following the suppression of the Sicilian provinces, it was replaced in 2015 by the free municipal consortium of Trapani (Italian: libero consorzio comunale di Trapani). Its capital is the city of Trapani.
It has a population of 410,602 in an area of 2,469.62 square kilometres (953.53 mi2) across its 25 municipalities.[5][6][1]
History
[edit]The area now covered by the province was occupied successively by the Carthaginians, Greeks and latterly by the Romans. The port of Trapani, first known as Drepana, then Drepanon, was inhabited by the Sicani and the Elymi becoming a prosperous Phoenician trading centre by the 8th century BC. It was taken by the Carthaginians in 260 BC and by the Romans in 240 BC, becoming a civitas romana until 440 AD when it was sacked by the Vandals, then by the Byzantines and ultimately by the Muslims in 830. In the 16th century, it received privileges under Emperor Charles V of Spain, who also strengthened the town walls. Trapani became the provincial capital in 1817.[7]
Geography
[edit]The province of Trapani borders the Tyrrhenian Sea to the north, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and the Strait of Sicily to the west. It is bordered to the east with only the provinces of Palermo and Agrigento. The territory has few flat areas, although with the exception of the mountains of Sparagio (1,110 m)[8] and Inici (1,065 m),[9] most land is under 1,000 metres. The northwestern part is rugged in comparison to the south. The province also includes the archipelago of the Aegadian Islands belonging to the comune (municipality) of Favignana, the island of Pantelleria which is the largest of Sicily, in the comune of the same name, and the Stagnone Islands, which belong to the comune of Marsala. The Egadi Islands consist of three main islands, Favignana, Levanzo and Marettimo and two islets, Formica and Maraone.[10]
The province of Trapani has a number of rivers, but most are not of notable size or importance, except for the Belice on the border of the province,[11] and the Birgi, with a length of about 40 km. Other rivers include the torrential Modione, Mazaro, the Fiume, the Salemi and the Sossius, the latter of which flows into the Mediterranean Sea at the resort of Berbaro.
Natural lakes include the Gorghi Tondi and Preola, in the comune of Mazara del Vallo, and the Lago di Venere in Pantelleria. There are also three man-made lakes, Lago Rubino, created by a dam across the Cuddia River, which is part of the catchment area of the Birgi, at Lago Trinità in Castelvetrano, and the lake of the same name at the resort of Paceco. However, there is also a coastal lagoon, the Stagnone Lagoon, within a 2000-hectare reserve on the stretch of coast between Punta Alga and Cape San Teodoro,[12] near Marsala, in an area which was once an important naval base and commercial for the Phoenicians. The waters are shallow and very salty, with marshland. The lagoon consists of four islands: Isola Longa Santa Maria, San Pantaleo and Schola.[12]
The nearby island of Pantelleria, noted for its wine production,[13] and the Aegadian Islands are also administratively a part of Trapani province.
Municipalities
[edit]Demographics
[edit]As of 2026, the population is 410,602, of which 49.5% are male, and 50.5% are female. Minors make up 14.8% of the population, and seniors make up 25.4%.[14][15]
Historical population | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: ISTAT[16][17] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Immigration
[edit]As of 2025, of the known countries of birth of 399,315 residents, the most numerous are: Italy (381,099 – 95.4%), Romania (4,179 – 1%), Germany (2,330 – 0.6%).[18][19]
Economy
[edit]The Province of Trapani is a major centre for viticulture in the Val di Mazara wine region.[20]
The province is also historically associated with marble quarrying and ornamental stone production, particularly around Custonaci, Trapani, Erice and San Vito Lo Capo. The Custonaci marble basin is among the largest in Italy and has been described as one of the largest in Europe.[21]
In the early 19th century, Giuseppe Maria Di Ferro described several prized local stone varieties, including "Libeccio", "Capriccioso", and "Pietra Incarnata", noting their use in churches and monumental architecture in Naples and Rome. He also described quarrying activity around Custonaci and the slopes of Monte Erice.[21]
Today the marble industry remains economically important in the province, especially in the Custonaci district, which produces Perlato di Sicilia and related ornamental stones for domestic and international markets.[21]
Religion
[edit]The Province of Trapani has historically been an important religious centre. The province contains several major sacred and ceremonial sites dating to antiquity, including the Temple of Venus Erycina at Erice, one of the best-known religious sanctuaries of the ancient Mediterranean, as well as the temple complexes of Segesta and Selinunte. The province later became associated with major Roman Catholic traditions including Marian devotions and Holy Week processions, particularly the Misteri di Trapani.[22][23]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011" (in Italian). ISTAT.
- ^ "Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026". demo.istat.it. ISTAT. 2026-01-01. Retrieved 2026-04-01. (On the search form, choose the statistical region of the municipality in the Area section, the Region, the Province, and the name of the Municipality)
- ^ "Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026". demo.istat.it. ISTAT. 2026-01-01. Retrieved 2026-04-01.The file URL linking on technical dataset.
- ^ Regions and Cities > Regional Statistics > Regional Economy > Regional Gross Domestic Product (Small regions TL3), OECD.Stats. Accessed on 16 November 2018.
- ^ "Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026". demo.istat.it. ISTAT. 2026-01-01. Retrieved 2026-04-01. (On the search form, choose the statistical region of the municipality in the Area section, the Region, the Province, and the name of the Municipality)
- ^ "Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026". demo.istat.it. ISTAT. 2026-01-01. Retrieved 2026-04-01.The file URL linking on technical dataset.
- ^ Domenico, Roy Palmer (2002). The Regions of Italy: A Reference Guide to History and Culture. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 293–. ISBN 978-0-313-30733-1.
- ^ Sicilia (in Italian). Touring Editore. 1989. p. 262. ISBN 978-88-365-0350-6.
- ^ GŠrtner, Otto (2013). Sizilien (in German). Baedeker. p. 173. ISBN 978-3-8297-1456-3.
- ^ Valdes, Giuliano (1 May 2000). Sicilia. Ediz. Inglese. Casa Editrice Bonechi. p. 57. ISBN 978-88-7009-826-6.
- ^ Talbert, R J A (15 February 2007). Timoleon and the Revival of Greek Sicily: 344-317 B.C. Cambridge University Press. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-521-03413-5.
- ^ a b Leone (October 2013). Itatour. Accessibilità diffusa, spazi del tempo libero e territori del turismo nella punta occidentale della Sicilia: Accessibilità diffusa, spazi del tempo libero e territori del turismo nella punta occidentale della Sicilia (in Italian). FrancoAngeli. p. 63. ISBN 978-88-204-4811-0.
- ^ Mencarelli, Fabio; Tonutti, Pietro (16 April 2013). Sweet, Reinforced and Fortified Wines: Grape Biochemistry, Technology and Vinification. John Wiley & Sons. p. 230. ISBN 978-1-118-56920-7.
- ^ "Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026". demo.istat.it. ISTAT. 2026-01-01. Retrieved 2026-04-01. (On the search form, choose the statistical region of the municipality in the Area section, the Region, the Province, and the name of the Municipality)
- ^ "Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026". demo.istat.it. ISTAT. 2026-01-01. Retrieved 2026-04-01.The file URL linking on technical dataset.
- ^ "Popolazione residente dei comuni. Censimenti dal 1861 al 1991" [Resident population of the municipalities. Censuses from 1861 to 1991] (PDF) (in Italian). ISTAT. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2025-11-12.
- ^ "Resident population - Time series". ISTAT.
- ^ "Resident population by sex, municipality and individual citizenship or country of birth from year 2002". demo.istat.it. ISTAT. 2025-01-01. Retrieved 2025-02-27. (Click on 'View by country of birth', and on the search form, choose the statistical region of the municipality in the Area section, the Region, the Province, and the name of the Municipality)
- ^ "Resident population by sex, municipality and individual citizenship or country of birth from year 2002". demo.istat.it. ISTAT. 2025-01-01. Retrieved 2025-02-27.The file URL linking on technical dataset.
- ^ The Italian Wine Guide: The Definitive Guide to Touring, Sourcing and Tasting. Touring Editore. 1 November 2004. p. 327. ISBN 978-88-365-3085-4.
- ^ a b c Di Ferro, Giuseppe Maria (1825). Guida per gli stranieri in Trapani: con un saggio storico [A Guide for Foreigners to Trapani: With a Historical Essay] (in Italian). Trapani: Pietro Mannone e Solina. pp. 150–154.
- ^ Castronovo, Giuseppe (1872). Erice, oggi Monte San Giuliano in Sicilia: memorie storiche. Vol. 1. Tipografia di Bernardo Virzì. pp. 110–113.
- ^ De Vincenzo, Salvatore (2022). Guida archeologica di Erice (PDF) (in Italian). Viterbo: UniversItalia.
External links
[edit]
- Official website (in Italian)
- Pictures, history, tourism, gastronomy, books, local products, local surnames, transportation in the province of Trapani (in English)
