Caccamo Castle
Built in the Norman period, perched high on a steep rocky spur,
this castle of the Chiaramonte family is without a doubt one of
Sicily's most important, most evocative, and best conserved feudal
fortresses, apart from being the biggest. The events that occurred
here, from the year 1094 on, constitute an important page in Sicilian
history. Here Matteo Bonello and his fellow conspirators found
refuge after the Barons' Revolt in 1160-61. The castle was confiscated
by the Crown, enlarged in the 14th cent. by Manfredi I Chiaramonte,
further fortified at the end of that century by Giaimo de Prades,
thanks to whom the Dammuso Tower was built halfway along the south
façade, and finally transformed into a palace by the Amatos
in the 18th cent. Inside the castle one can see the stables, the
auditorium of the theatre, various guard rooms, the court chapel,
the keep, the servants' rooms, the prisons with their walls covered
in the prisoners' graffiti, the Conspiracy Room, and the impressive
Arms Room with its massive pieces of armour. The western terrace,
with a sheer drop below to the valley, provides a superb panorama
ranging as far as the Rosamarina Dam and even to Rocca Busambra. |
Castles
itinerary
