Situated between the sea and mount Erice, “Drepanon” (the city’s ancient name) originated around its port, originally as a small village, later as a small fortified town, where for many centuries fishermen, merchants, artisans of different races lived, for example, the Elymians who populated Erice, or like the Ionic people. A small maritime city, founded by the Phoenicians, who arrived from the Mediterranean and made Trapani into a commercial trading centre.