CASTIGLIONE DI SICILIA

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Castiglione di Sicilia is a city at 621m a.s.l. set on a rocky spur overlooking the Alcantara Valley. It totals some 5,000 inhabitants.

THE CITY

The Mother Church – The tour of the city can begin with the Mother Church, dedicated to Saint Peter. It has a latin-cross plan divided into three naves with polychrome marbles. Several worth-seeing pieces of art adorn it, like the three paintings of San Biagio, the Virgin and the Adultera, a precious sundial and a wooden Holy Crucifix. Its concave façade is complete with a campanile made of lava stone. The chancel contains a fine wooden organ.

Minor churches and surroundings – The city is home to other worth-mentioning places such as the Church of the Benedictine Sisters, the church of Sant’Antonio and the 1700’s church of the Madonna della Catena.

Castel Leone – The Leone Castle, today reduced to few ruins, dominates the small town. Nestled atop a high rocky spur, it served as a guarding post since the antiquity. It offers a beautiful sight of the town and the Etna volcano. To the East, the remains of a fortress of the 8^th century BC are visible.

The city has a Medieval design, surviving a terrible earthquake in 1693 and characterized by narrow streets around the main square Piazza Lauria. The bridge over the Alcantara River is of the same epoch, hence called Ponte Medievale.

The remains of a 7^th-9^th century Byzantine Church called “Cuba” are located off town, along the way to Mojo Alcantara.

HISTORY

Founded by refugees from Naxos in 496 BC, Castiglione di Sicilia was destroyed by the troops of Syracusan tyrant Dionysius I. It was successively ruled by the Roman, the Byzantine, the Norman and the Swabian. During the Middle Age, it was a feudal belonged to Roger of Lauria.

A number of relics scattered throughout its territory testify to its ancient past. Among these are the ruins of a Greek acropolis, of a small Byzantine temple, of a Saracen tower and of a Norman castle.