Battlements in Sicily

The most commonly used terms in the toponymy of the sicilian battlements are: castrum (Greek kàstron, Arabic qalat e qasr) to indicate fortresses that dominate an inhabited town, castellum, kastellion and moreover qasr, and sometimes castillucium for the isolated fortresses in the countryside,  turris and pyrgos for the smaller buildings. The battlements in Sicily beagan round about the IX century A.D. with the castra of the Romaioi (the name of the inhabitants of Sicily during the rule of the Eastern Roman Empire) to block the Saracen invasion of the island (from 828 to 965) and continued with the construction of fortified citadels, built by the Arabs from 966 onwards, to defend themselves against the Byzantine attempts to regain control, and of caravansaries, partially fortified buildings, in which the commercial Caravans could rest and find shelter.

In XI century the Normans, led by Count Ruggero d’Altavilla, built particular fortresses, called Dongioni on Motta, on the natural hills next to the bagli, which were fortified farmhouse. The word Motta indicates the presence of an artificial hill or embankment, on which a donjon style fortress was built. In XII and XIII centuries the Norman kings and the Federico di Svevia had the castra – palatia built, positioned on the most eleveted places of the inhabited centres, or in the countryside castled on hills, as hunting residences with comfortable internal rooms in which it was possible to spend pleasant days.

The 1300’s was the century of the feudal castles, the period in which the important families of the island, above the Alagona, the Ventimiglia, the Chiaramonte, the Peralta families, and the vicars of the Aragonese Crown, completed and enlarged the state property castles of Federico’s period, turning them into personal feudal properties or managing them on behalf of the regal curia. New castles, known as osteri, which perseved only some elements of defensive architecture (tower, booths and battlements) and gained above all decorative function, were also built as baronial residences.

These were big buildings made up of a noble floor for the lords and a ground floor used for the armigers, the servants, the grooms and different employees and as a store for goods and food provisions. The 1400’s was the century of lest activity in Sicilian defensive architecture and the osterio became a sample city-place without any defensive purpose. In the 1500’s and in the 1600’s, the castles situated inland of the island lost their military function and control towers were built along the coast an magnificent works of fotification, fortreesses with bastions and bulwarks, which were strong enough to protect the port-cities from pirate invasions coming from North Africa and from Turkish Ottoman attacks.

The castles situated along the Jonian area of the province of Messina, castled on reefs or rocky cliffs, have had an especially defensive function; the castles were outposts, refuge places for the people who livedin the villages and were used as warehouses for food provisions and weapons during the sieges. From this heritage of castles, we have chosen to present thos of Scaletta Zanclea, Fiumedinisi, S. Alessio, Forza d’Agrò, Taormina and Castelmola, that have withstood the course of events over the centuries relatively well. Throughout this journey you will be accompanied by our imaginary mascot, Rufus.