 At 8 km from Palma di Montechiaro in Capreria soars the Castle of Montechiaro. Built in 1353, it is unique because it is the only Chiaramonte castle in Sicily built outside the walls of the village.
The castle stands in a dominant and strategic position, on top of a rocky ridge near the sea to defend the territory. From Chiaramente, it passed amongst several owners, and, in the seventeenth century, the castle was passed to the family of Tomasi.

It was recently restored and returned to the community. Inside the chapel of the castle, there is a statue of the Madonna that is thought to be the work of Antonello Gagini.

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Montechiaro Castle

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The charm of an ancient building meets the legend of a fabulous treasure: this is the best introduction for the castello di Favara, new stage of the tour to discover the castles of Sicily.

The history
Built in the late Thirteenth century by Chiaramonte family, the castle is the “point of passage” from the type of the castle to the type of the building (in fact, it is known as “palace”).
In the Seventeenth century, the castle of Favara was used as a stately home.
From the early Eighteenth century, the kitchens at the two sides of the large portal were used as prisons: to be precise, the rooms on the left as a criminal prison and the rooms on the right as a civil prison.
In the Seventies of the Twentieth century, part of the stone fence was removed.

The castle
The disposition of the parts of the castle has the shape of a square: this characteristic is typical of Sicilian Swabian castles, particularly of the “palacia” (or “solacia”) built by King Frederick II of Swabia. Since it is located in a slightly elevated position, it was used almost exclusively as a residence.

The facade can be divided into two parts: the first is compact, the second pierced by mullioned windows.
The ground floor rooms have vaulted ceilings.
There is a commemorative plaque in the entrance hall: on that plaque, there is an indecipherable inscription that, according to a popular legend, indicates the location of a fabulous treasure.
The chapel and the portal are the two most characteristic elements of the castle: in particular, the columns at the sides of the portal are typically Norman style.
 
How to get there
Favara is a small town in the province of Agrigento. To get there from Agrigento, just take the county road 80 and follow the road sogns Favara. The journey by car takes about 20 minutes.

https://www.traghettiper-sicilia.it

 The castello di Favara 

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.

 https://www.traghettiper-sicilia.it

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.

Castello di Naro

Castel Sant'Angelo, also known as Forte Sant'Angelo, is a fort in Licata, Sicily. It was originally built as a watchtower in the 1580s, and was expanded into a fort between 1615 and 1640. Today, the fort is in good condition and is open to the public.

Castel Sant'Angelo is located on the top of Monte Sant'Angelo, a hill 130 m (430 ft) above sea level, overlooking the city to the north and its harbour to the south. Several archaeological sites, including remains of a Hellenistic settlement, can be found in the area.
History
The first fortification to be built on Monte Sant'Angelo was a watchtower, which was constructed between 1583 and 1585 on the orders of Viceroy Marcantonio Colonna. The tower was designed by the military engineer Camillo Camilliani.

In 1615, Hernando Petigno, the general commander of the Royal Cavalry of Sicily and Military Governor of Syracuse, began building a fort on the site, incorporating the tower as the fort's keep. Construction was halted, but it was resumed in 1636 and completed in 1640 under the direction of Serpione Cottone, Marquis d'Altamura.
The fort never fired its guns in anger, and was decommissioned in the 19th century. It was a telegraph station between 1849 and 1856. In the early 20th century, it became a lighthouse. It was severely damaged during the Allied invasion of Sicily on 10 July 1943, when it was bombarded by USS Brooklyn and USS Buck. The damaged parts of the fort were later repaired.

The lighthouse in Castel Sant'Angelo closed in 1965, and the fort was abandoned. It was declared a historic monument on 8 July 1969, and it was restored in the 1980s.

Today, the fort is in good condition and is open to the public. There are plans to turn it into a museum.