Agro Ericino

Agro Ericino is a historical region in north-western Sicily associated with the former territory of Monte San Giuliano (modern Erice). Historically extending between Trapani and the Gulf of Castellammare, it comprised an area of nearly 40,000 hectares, corresponding largely to the present-day municipalities of Erice, Valderice, Buseto Palizzolo, Custonaci and San Vito Lo Capo, as well as part of Castellammare del Golfo.^[1]

Historically, the territory functioned as the agricultural and pastoral hinterland of Monte San Giuliano and was characterised by a dispersed settlement pattern of feudal estates, bagli (courtyard farmsteads), and small rural communities.^[1] In the early twenty-first century, the Agro Ericino was reinterpreted as a framework for intermunicipal cooperation and territorial planning aimed at promoting local cultural identity and integrated development.^[2]

The Agro Ericino encompasses a diverse landscape of mountains, valleys, plains and coastal promontories extending between Trapani and the Gulf of Castellammare. Its coastline includes the bays of Bonagia and Macari, while its mountainous hinterland is dominated by Monte Erice, Monte Cofano and Monte Sparagio. Parts of the territory are protected within the Monte Cofano and Zingaro nature reserves.^[3]

Nineteenth-century descriptions by Giuseppe Vito Castronovo portray the Agro Ericino as a varied landscape watered by rivers, streams and perennial springs. Castronovo identified two principal watercourses, the Libeccio-Libici and Lenzi streams, which flowed respectively towards the Tyrrhenian and Mediterranean coasts. He also noted the widespread presence of archaeological remains, including rock-cut tombs, caves, cisterns, ruined settlements and troglodytic dwellings, particularly in the coastal and mountainous districts.^[4]

Historically, the region supported a mixed agricultural and pastoral economy. Castronovo recorded cereals, legumes, sumac, wine, olive oil, cheese, wool, leather, honey and fruit among its principal products, while noting that the progressive conversion of woodland and upland pasture to cultivation had contributed to a decline in pastoral activities by the nineteenth century.^[4]

The agricultural landscape also includes many rural buildings, including bagli, seasonal dwellings and small shelters. Architects Antonio Biancucci and Salvatore Oddo have studied these buildings and their relationship with the history of farming and rural settlement in the Trapani countryside. They argue that many abandoned rural buildings could be adapted for modern uses while retaining their connection with the surrounding landscape.^[5]

Archaeological evidence, documentary sources and place names indicate that the Agro Ericino was extensively settled during the period of Islamic rule in Sicily between the ninth and eleventh centuries.^[1] Following the Norman conquest, a charter traditionally attributed to Frederick II is said to have granted the territory, including a number of abandoned casali (rural settlements), to the inhabitants of Monte San Giuliano.^[1]

According to later accounts, the grant entitled the inhabitants of Monte San Giuliano to cultivate the land, pasture livestock and exploit woodland resources, although the authenticity of the document has been questioned by some historians.^[1] In the nineteenth century, Giuseppe Vito Castronovo described the territory of Monte San Giuliano as comprising numerous feudi (feudal estates) and contrade (rural districts), and recorded the continued existence of communal rights of pasture, hunting and wood gathering in parts of the territory.^[4]

In 1816, following the preparation of a new cadastre under the Bourbon administration, substantial portions of the western sector of the Agro Ericino, including Scopello, Fragginesi, Valle di Baida and other districts associated with the former barony of Inici, were transferred to Castellammare del Golfo. Writing in 1872, Giuseppe Vito Castronovo characterised this measure as the smembramento ("dismemberment") of the historic territory of Monte San Giuliano, lamenting that "the heart of the Agro Ericino" had been detached from its traditional jurisdiction.^[4]

The historical unity of the Agro Ericino was progressively weakened by territorial adjustments during the nineteenth century and ultimately dissolved in the mid-twentieth century through the creation of separate municipalities from the former territory of Monte San Giuliano. Buseto Palizzolo became an autonomous municipality in 1950, Custonaci in 1954, and Valderice (initially established as Paparella–San Marco) in 1955, while San Vito Lo Capo had already obtained administrative autonomy. By the late 1950s, the historic territory of Monte San Giuliano had largely assumed its present municipal configuration.^{[6] [7] [8] [9]}

In the early twenty-first century, the term Agro Ericino was adopted in the Piano Strategico dell'Agro-Ericino, which brought together six municipalities in a programme of intermunicipal cooperation and territorial planning. The plan brought together Buseto Palizzolo, Castellammare del Golfo, Custonaci, Erice, San Vito Lo Capo and Valderice within a development area of approximately 430 km2.^[2]

The initiative aimed to coordinate policies among the participating municipalities through measures relating to tourism, agri-food production, marble extraction and youth activities. It identified four thematic development axes, metaphorically described as the strada del mare ("road of the sea"), the strada dei prodotti tipici ("road of local products"), the strada del marmo ("road of marble"), and the strada dei giovani ("road of youth").^[2]

The Agro Ericino was presented as a means of consolidating and promoting local cultural identity while strengthening cooperation between municipalities and their institutional relations with Trapani.^[2]

In 2004, the Unione dei Comuni Elimo-Ericini, an intermunicipal association initially comprising Buseto Palizzolo, Castellammare del Golfo, Custonaci, Paceco, San Vito Lo Capo and Valderice, was established. Headquartered in Valderice, the union was established to coordinate shared services and promote the socio-economic, cultural and environmental development of the territory, including the enhancement of tourism and local products.^[10]

The region has been promoted as a destination for sustainable tourism and outdoor recreation. The Rete Sentieristica dell'Agro Ericino, coordinated by GAL Elimos in collaboration with local municipalities and the Club Alpino Italiano (CAI), comprises approximately 110 km of marked trails intended to enhance the area's natural and cultural heritage.^[3]

• Monte Erice, the historic centre associated with the Agro Ericino
  Monte Erice, the historic centre associated with the Agro Ericino
• Monte Cofano, one of the principal mountains of the Agro Ericino
  Monte Cofano, one of the principal mountains of the Agro Ericino
• The historic Tonnara del Cofano on the coast of Custonaci
  The historic Tonnara del Cofano on the coast of Custonaci
• Cala Tonnarella dell'Uzzo in the Zingaro Nature Reserve
  Cala Tonnarella dell'Uzzo in the Zingaro Nature Reserve