The dramatic view out to the Castellammare del Golfo from Segesta in Sicily is only matched by its dramatic history. Both must have outdone the spectacles played out in its theatre.
As background scenery goes it would be hard to beat the awe-inspiring panorama of the Hellenistic amphitheatre at Segesta in western Sicily. Segesta itself was settled by the ancient Elymians, a people of who little is known, but believed to be of Trojan descent. The city came under Hellenistic influence and the amphitheatre was built in its idyllic locations in the middle of the third century BC. Involved in various conflicts, it was the first Sicilian city to affiliate with the Romans, before being occupied by the Saracens and finally destroyed by the Vandals in the 13th century. The population had gradually moved to the port city of Castellammare del Golfo by this time, perhaps unable to ignore the pull of the commanding view.