Theprovince of Trapani (Italian:provincia di Trapani;Sicilian:pruvincia di Tràpani; officiallylibero consorzio comunale di Trapani) is aprovince in the autonomous island region ofSicily, Italy. Following the suppression of the Sicilian provinces, it was replaced in 2015 by thefree municipal consortium of Trapani (Italian:libero consorzio comunale di Trapani). Its capital is the city ofTrapani. It has an area of 2,469.62 square kilometres (953.53 sq mi) and a total population of 411,396 as of 2025.[1] There are 25comuni (sg.:comune) in the province (seecomuni of the province of Trapani).
The area now covered by the province was occupied successively by theCarthaginians,Greeks and latterly by theRomans. The port of Trapani, first known as Drepana, then Drepanon, was inhabited by theSicani and theElymi becoming a prosperousPhoenician trading centre by the 8th century BC. It was taken by the Carthaginians in 260 BC and by the Romans in 240 BC, becoming acivitas romana until 440 AD when it was sacked by theVandals, then by theByzantines and ultimately by theMuslims in 830. In the 16th century, it received privileges under EmperorCharles V of Spain, who also strengthened the town walls. Trapani became the provincial capital in 1817.[3]
The province of Trapani borders theTyrrhenian Sea to the north, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and theStrait of Sicily to the west. It is bordered to the east with only the provinces ofPalermo andAgrigento. The territory has few flat areas, although with the exception of the mountains of Sparagio (1,110 m)[4] and Inici (1,065 m),[5] most land is under 1,000 metres. The northwestern part is rugged in comparison to the south. The province also includes the archipelago of theAegadian Islands belonging to thecomune (municipality) ofFavignana, the island ofPantelleria which is the largest of Sicily, in thecomune of the same name, and theStagnone Islands, which belong to thecomune ofMarsala. The Egadi Islands consist of three main islands, Favignana, Levanzo and Marettimo and two islets, Formica and Maraone.[6]
The province of Trapani has a number of rivers, but most are not of notable size or importance, except for theBelice on the border of the province,[7] and theBirgi, 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 ofBerbaro.
Natural lakes include the Gorghi Tondi and Preola, in thecomune ofMazara del Vallo, and theLago di Venere in Pantelleria. There are also three man-made lakes, Lago Rubino, created by a dam across theCuddia River, which is part of the catchment area of the Birgi, at Lago Trinità inCastelvetrano, and the lake of the same name at the resort ofPaceco. However, there is also a coastal lagoon, theStagnone Lagoon, within a 2000-hectare reserve on the stretch of coast between Punta Alga and Cape San Teodoro,[8] 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.[8]
The nearby island ofPantelleria, noted for its wine production,[9] and theAegadian Islands are also administratively a part of Trapani province.
