Queensberry (band)

Queensberry was an all-female German pop group, founded in late 2008. Formed during the seventh season of the German version of the international television talent show Popstars, Popstars – Just 4 Girls, the original line-up consisted of singers Leonore Bartsch (Leo), Gabriella De Almeida Rinne (Gabby), Antonella Trapani (Anto), and Victoria Ulbrich (Vici). On 7 July 2010, it was announced that both Antonella and Victoria had left the group, to be replaced by new members, Selina Herrero and Ronja Hilbig.

The band's debut album Volume I was released in December 2008 and reached gold status in Germany. It produced the two singles No Smoke and I Can't Stop Feeling, both becoming top thirty successes in the charts. In February 2008, Queensberry served as the opening act for The Pussycat Dolls's Doll Domination Tour in selected European countries. In November 2009, the second studio album On My Own was released.

For the soundtrack of the film Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, Queensberry recorded The Song with The Chipettes in December 2009, which reached number 6 in the U.S. Billboard charts, with the film soundtrack reaching number 1 in the U.S. soundtrack charts.

Trapani

Trapani [ˈtraːpani]  listen  (Sicilian: Tràpani; Latin: Drepanon, Greek: Δρέπανον) is a city and comune on the west coast of Sicily in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an important fishing port and the main gateway to the nearby Egadi Islands.

History

Trapani was founded by the Elymians to serve as the port of the nearby city of Erice (ancient Eryx), which overlooks it from Monte San Giuliano. The city sits on a low-lying promontory jutting out into the Mediterranean Sea.

It was originally named Drepana or Drépanon from the Greek word for "sickle", because of the curving shape of its harbour. Carthage seized control of the city in 260 BC, subsequently making it an important naval base, but ceded it to Rome in 241 BC following the Battle of the Aegates in the First Punic War.

Two ancient legends tell of mythical origins for the city. In the first legend, Trapani stemmed from the sickle which fell from the hands of the goddess Demeter while she was seeking for her daughter Persephone, who had been kidnapped by Hades. The second myth features Saturn, who eviscerated his father Uranus, god of the sky, with a sickle which, falling into the sea, created the city. In ancient times, Saturn was the god-protector of Trapani. Today, Saturn's statue stands in a piazza in the centre of the city.

Province of Trapani

Trapani (Italian: Provincia di Trapani, Sicilian: Pruvincia di Tràpani) is a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily in Italy. Its capital is the city of Trapani. It has an area of 2,460 square kilometres (950 sq mi) and a total population of 436,150 (2013). There are 24 comunes (Italian: comuni) in the province (see Comuni of the Province of Trapani).

Besides the capital Trapani, other cities and places of interest in the province include Segesta, Gibellina, Erice, Castelvetrano, Alcamo, Marsala, Mazara del Vallo, Castellammare del Golfo, and Mozia. The nearby island of Pantelleria, noted for its wine production, and the Aegadian Islands are also administratively a part of Trapani province. The Province of Trapani is a major centre for viticulture.

History

The area now covered by the province was occupied successively by the Carthaginians, Greeks and latterly by the Romans. The port of Trapani, first known as Drepana, then Drepanon, was inhabited by the Sicani and the Elymi becoming a prosperous Phoenician trading centre by the 8th century B.C. It was taken by the Carthaginians in 260 B.C. and by the Romans in 240 B.C., becoming a civitas romana until 440 A.D. when it was sacked by the Vandals, then by the Byzantines and ultimately by the Muslims in 830. In the 16th century, it received privileges under Emperor Charles V of Spain who also strengthened the town walls. Trapani became the provincial capital in 1817.