Tour of the castles of Sicily : a stop at the castle of Donnafugata

Rather than a true castle itself, it is a sumptuous stately home with a splendor that still keeps at present. Set of the film Kaos by the Taviani brothers, Donnafugata is the next stop in our tour to discover the castles of Sicily.

History

• The history of the castle is relatively recent: its construction, in fact, goes back to the mid-seventeenth century.
• Over the centuries, the Castle of Donnafugata was repeatedly renovated. In particular, its facade has been modified many times.
• Up to the early twentieth century: the Baron of Donnafugata transformed the facade in a little masterpiece that can be admired nowadays.

The castle

The first thing that made an impression on the mind of visitors is the façade: it worths for all the castels but in particular for the castle of Donnafugata. The facade of the castle of Donnafugata is like a melting pot of architectural styles, from Gothic to the late Venetian Renaissance.

The castle incorporates preexisting areas to its construction. It consists of more than 120 rooms. Of these, the most important and beautiful to see are:

• Coat of Arms Hall (the name comes from the coats of arms painted on the walls)
• Hall of Mirrors (adorned with precious stucco)
• Billiard room and music room (The walls of both rooms are decorated with landscape views)
• Bedroom of the Princess Navarre
• Room Ladies and Fumoir (finely decorated)

How to get there

Donnafugata is located in the province of Ragusa. To get to the castle from the provincial capital, you need to:

• take the provincial road 13 following the signs for Donnafugata
• take the provincial road 71 to town

The trip by car takes just 20 minutes: take the chance to visit also Ragusa, one of the most beautiful places of Sicily.

Previous stop: il forte spagnolo di Portopalo |Next stop: ?

Image source: Flickr.com/photos/anams