Western Sicily is the destination you have chosen for your next vacation. And you want to see the most beautiful monuments, natural areas and beaches of this part of the island. Accept a good advice: during this vacation, you have to visit the five most beautiful castles in western Sicily; you will not regret it.
- Castello di Erice (Trapani). Erice is an ancient hamlet with Phoenician origins and it’s one of the most beautiful places in Sicily, on the top of San Giuliano mount. It’s protected by a triangular boundary wall line. Built in XII-XIII century, here the time seems to have stopped, when dames and cavaliers walked along the courtyards and the corridors.
- Castello di Carini (Palermo). Founded during the reign of Ruggero II between 1075 an 1090, the castle of Carini was repaired and restored several times during its almost millennial history. The most characteristic rooms of the castle are three: Salone delle derrate, Salone delle feste and the quadrangular tower.
- Castello a Mare di Palermo. The Castello a Mare (literally, “castle near the sea”) of Palermo was built in the Ninth Century, during the Arab-Norman domination. He experienced its heyday in the Sixteenth Century, when it became the residence of the Viceroy of Sicily. The final restoration of Castello a Mare began in 2009, when it became the centre of Parco archeologico del Castellammare.
- Castello di Caccamo (Palermo). The castle, one of Sicily’s most important feudal manors, was built during the Norman period, in 1094, presumably by Chiaramonte family. The rooms and halls to visit in this castle are several, such as the stables, the prisons, the Sala della congiura (“Hall of the conspiracy”), the great Sala delle armi (“Hall of weapons”). According to a legend, the ghost of Matteo Bonello haunts the castle.
- Castelbuono (Palermo). The castle was built by Count Francesco I of Ventimiglia: its construction began in 1316 on the ruins of the ancient Byzantine town of Ypsigro, on the hill of San Pietro. The castle has a very particular “cube-shaped” form, which clearly recalls the Arab architectural styles. While the “square towers” are typical of the Norman style.
Image source: Flickr.com/photos/jfsugga
