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

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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 

 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.

http://livingagrigento.it

Montechiaro Castle

Il castello ducale di Joppolo, o palazzo Colonna, è un maniero settecentesco dai tratti medievali, situato nella Sicilia Occidentale in provincia di Agrigento, nel borgo di Joppolo Giancaxio.
Voluto da Calogero Gabriele Colonna, venne ampliato e modificato nella struttura nel '800.

Il castello, collocato sul fianco di una rupe, sorto sulle rovine di una più antica fortezza trecentesca chiaramontano, è posto in posizione strategica ad un’altezza di 270 metri sul livello del mare.

Il castello
Il maniero, di stile neogotico-mediterraneo, è stato costruito interamente con pietrame calcareo del luogo. Si deve all’architetto Francesco Paolo Palazzotto intorno al 1894 che dovette trasformare e riadattare una struttura preesistente.

La cappella
Costruita intorno al 1880, con blocchi di tufo arenario, in puro stile trecentesco chiaramontano. Costituiva il luogo in cui i Colonna passando da Joppolo seguivano il sacro ufficio.