BALESTRATE

Balestrate is a small agricultural and seaside town in the Palermo province. Historians maintain that it was bestowed upon Nicolà Leonfante by Alfonso il Magnifico. A millstone and a tuna-fishery were later established, the latter built on the Sicciara beach.

It was right by this tuna-fishery that the earliest settlement of to-day’s Balestrate developed.

Visitors of Balestrate can enjoy various historical and cultural sites, such as the remains of a Greek necropolis going back to the 6^th-5^th centuries BC, tombs of Arab origin and a castle known as Calatubo. This retains its triangular defensive walls and four towers, two of which are square while the others are smaller in size. It is perched atop a cliff, enjoying a magnificent and well-protected position. Unfortunately, the building is rather heavily damaged.