The remains of the Greek city of Eraclea Minoa can be found in a magnificent spot on the edge of a solitary hill overlooking the sea at the beginning of Capo Bianco.

At the foot of this hill, the coastline opens up into a long white beach ,crowned by a lovely pine wood. Before you get to the excavations, on the right, the white rock dunes (“la marna”, a mixture of clay and limestone “cleaned” by the erosion of the sea) which have been modelled by the wind, re-call the wall that closes the Cape to the east. Minoa is probably the ancient name of the city. Legends link it to the king of Crete, Minosse who, according to tradition, followed Dedalus to Sicily to punish him for helping Arianna and Teseo to get out of the labyrinth.

Minosse is said to have been killed here by the Sicilian King Coas who was sheltering Dedalo.

The reign of Cocalo was situated along the River Platani with its capital Camico, which has been identified as today’s Sant’Angelo Muxara by some and Caltabellotta by others( for further information about Dedalus see also Monte KRONIO) The city was probably founded in the VI century BC by Greek settlers from Selinunte. The name Eraclea was probably added by successive Greek settlers.

After passing to the Romans in the III century BC, it was involved in a series of wars and progressively abandoned –in the I century AD it was no longer inhabited.