Chiaramontano Castle in Naro
The Chiaramonte castle of Naro is a medieval fortress which with its towers, its mighty walls and the keep dominates the entire town.
It was built in the 12th century and remodeled in the Chiaramonte era in the 14th century. It was the home of King Frederick III of Aragon who had the large square tower of the castle built where, on the western side, the coat of arms of the Aragon family is carved.
The castle has an almost rectangular plan with a courtyard overlooked by the garrison quarters, the chapel and the stables, and is surrounded by a powerful city wall where cylindrical and square towers alternate. The access portal, with a pointed arch, dates back to the end of the fifteenth century. From the courtyard, via a flying staircase, you enter the hall of the square tower, known as the Prince's Hall or the Barons' Hall, illuminated through two Gothic style mullioned windows. Inside the room are preserved fragments of a fresco by the painter Cecco da Naro, a painter to whom the Chiaramonte family also entrusted the painting of the Palermo residence, Palazzo Steri.
From the top of the square it is possible to enjoy a splendid panorama that it ranges from the city, to the valley of paradise, to the Sicilian channel, to the San Giovanni dam, to the Sicilian hinterland. On particularly clear days it is also possible to see Etna.
