The castello di Naro: charm, history and legends

Its history has become legend. Dwelling of kings and nobles, it has the charm of its ancient history. This is the castello di Naro. And Naro is the new stage of the tour to discover the castles of Sicily.

The history

• There are several legends about the origin of the castle: according to a first legend, it was built by the lotus-eater giants; according to a second legend, the castle was built by the ancient Sicani.
• Officially, the castle was built in the Fourteenth century by the Chiaramonte family. Although, probably, it was built on a pre-existing Arab structure.
• King Frederick III of Aragon resided in Naro when, between 1309 and 1324, he issued the 21 capitoli del regno, riguardanti il buon governo delle terre e città del Regno di Trinacria (literally, “21 chapters of the kingdom, related to good governance of the lands and cities of the Kingdom of Trinacria”).
• King Frederick III of Aragon built the large square tower on the western side of the castle.
• In 1398, the castle hosted King Martino il Giovane and the queen Mary. Instead, the portal was built in the Fifteenth century.

Il castello

Declared national monument in 1912, the castle of Favara is a large tuff fortress. Among the things to see, there are the large living room with its Fourteenth-century door, a cistern that was used as a prison, and the inner courtyard.

Today, the castle of Favara is used as a museum, as location for cultural events and to celebrate civil marriage.

How to get there

Naro is a small town in the province of Agrigento. To get there from Agrigento:

• Take the state highway 115 following the road signs to state highway 576
• Once you are on the state highway 576, follow the road signs to Naro

The journey by car takes about 40 minutes.

Previous stage: il castello di Favara | Next stage: castello di Lombardia

Image source: Di Original uploader was DanieleNaro at it.wikipedia – Transferred from it.wikipedia; transfer was stated to be made by User:Memorato., Pubblico dominio