Castle of Ventimiglia, Alcamo, Italy

The castle of Ventimiglia is an ancient four towers castle which was built at the end of the 14th century by the Ventimiglia family on the top of Mount Bonifato near Alcamo.

Enrico Ventimiglia, the son of Guarnieri Ventimiglia whom he succeeded to, declared that he had this castle built on Mount Bonifato as a protection from possible attacks. According to different interpretations, the castle, instead, would date back to an anterior period.

The castle was destroyed in 1243 by order of Frederick II; it was rebuilt by the Ventimglia family before 1391 at her own expense.

Originally the castle had four towers and a rectangular trapezoid plan. The only remaining tower is the donjon or 'Torre maestram', that initially had three floors: you could enter it through a wooden ladder at the first floor. This tower is located on the north-west and had a rectangular plan with walls 2.2 m thick. It was the most important in the castle because, thanks to its impressiveness and position, this was a point of strategic sighting as they could check the road leading to the castle, as far as the entrance door, situated on the south-west side.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Pietro A (22 months ago)
Original Saracen tower.

Nicolò Marabeti (22 months ago)
Ruined but imposing castle. Wonderful view of the gulf of Castellammare from Terrasini to San Vito lo Capo. Pilgrimage site for the nearby Marian shrine.

Francesco Labita (2 years ago)
Still able to convey unique emotions. For anyone who is in Alcamo or is passing through, I suggest you to spend some 10 minutes relaxing in front of such great beauty.

Carman Mak (2 years ago)
Don't drive here! The road is unsuitable for driving.

Baldassare Trovato (4 years ago)
The Ventimiglia castle is an ancient four-tower castle built at the end of the 14th century by the Ventimiglia family on the top of Mount Bonifato (inside the Bosco di Alcamo Nature Reserve), near the town of Alcamo.

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