The most inaccessible and impregnable: this is the castle of Mussomeli

It is considered impregnable and is an authentic jewel of military architecture that could be admired in the countryside of Caltanissetta. This is the castle of Mussomeli, the next stop during the tour to discover the castles of Sicily.

History

• The construction of the castle dates back from fourteenth and to fifteenth century. It was built for the desire of Manfredi Chiaramonte, one of the four vicars who ruled the island during the reign of Queen Mary.
• After the family of Chiaramonte, the castle passed to the Moncada and finally to the Lanza family. In particular, Cesare Lanza became the first count of Mussomeli in 1564.
• Ottavio Lanza, son of Cesare, left the castle and designed it as a prison.
• The castle was completely adandoned during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries: for this reason it conserves its original appearance.

The castle

In the panorama of the castles of Sicily, the castle of Mussomeli is unique. Its beauty is due to the location, rugged and inaccessible, but also to the fact that the castle seems to merge with the limestone rock on which it stands.

Impregnable, charming and above all rich, the castle of Mussomeli holds many treasures and halls to discover:

• Gothic ornaments of the portal and the facade windows
• The Barons’ Hall, with its fine portals
• The “Prison of Death”, where the people condemned to death went down using a trapdoor
• The chapel where is the statue of the “Madonna della catena”,  prayed by prisoners demanding grace

How to get there

Mussomeli is a small town in the province of Caltanissetta, in the heart of Sicily. City and Castle can be easily reached from the main urban centers in the area:

• from Agrigento taking State road 189 (it takes about 50 minutes by car)
• from Caltanissetta through the provincial road 38 (it takes about an hour by car)
• from Enna through the provincial road 38 (it takes about an hour and 20 minutes by car

Previous stage: il castello di Falconara | Next stage: the castle of Racalmuto

Image source: Flickr.com/photos/giovamancuso