Eufemio Castle is mentioned in several historical sources, the oldest dating back to the first decades of the 12th century. It was described as an important place for the old town, thanks to its strategic position. In the 13th century, the importance of the Eufemio Castle grew considerably, as it was one of the main ones imperial castles of the reign of Frederick II of Swabia, whose guards guarded him during the battle against Muslims, who resided near the historic Segesta.
In the following centuries, the Eufemio Castle was inhabited by the various feudal lords who took turns at the command of Calatafimi Segesta, up to the 19th century, where it was used as prigione. Eufemio Castle remained in operation until 1868, only to be totally abandoned to itself, causing its state of degradation which, over time, saw the collapse of many of its parts. Today it is partially restored.
The Eufemio Castle would have been equipped with three towers, two still visible today in its remains, while there is no trace of the third, a fate shared also with the walls who would have wrapped it up to improve its defense system. Once you entered the Eufemio Castle, on the left there would have been the prisons, some walls of which have still been left engravings made, in all probability, by the prisoners themselves while serving their penalties. The Eufemio Castle would also have had a upper floor, which would have been used as a residence for the reigning feudal family.
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The Pilgrimage Church of Wies (Wieskirche) is an oval rococo church, designed in the late 1740s by Dominikus Zimmermann. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the municipality of Steingaden.
The sanctuary of Wies is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared.
The hamlet of Wies, in 1738, is said to have been the setting of a miracle in which tears were seen on a simple wooden figure of Christ mounted on a column that was no longer venerated by the Premonstratensian monks of the Abbey. A wooden chapel constructed in the fields housed the miraculous statue for some time. However, pilgrims from Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and even Italy became so numerous that the Abbot of the Premonstratensians of Steingaden decided to construct a splendid sanctuary.