Poggiodiana Castle in Ribera
The Poggiodiana Castle in Ribera, also known as Misilcassino Castle, is a Norman-era castle located in the hills of Ribera and depicted in the city's coat of arms.
The castle, now reduced to a state of ruin, was built in the 12th century by the Normans for the purpose of defense and was known until the 14th century as Misilcassino Castle, a Saracen term indicating place of descent on horseback. Only in the 15th century, when the castle came into the possession of the Luna counts, it took on its current name, castello di Poggiodiana, in honor of the noblewoman Diana Moncada, daughter of the prince of Paternò Luigi Guglielmo Moncada and wife by Vincenzo Luna.
The Castle stands on a hill located east of the town of Ribera. Of the ancient structure, part of the perimeter walls and two towers, one quadrangular and one cylindrical, are still visible today. The cylindrical tower, today the symbol of the city of Ribera, reaches a height of 25 meters, a circumference of 30 meters, and has a characteristic corbeled crown.
The castle had a very complex structure: there was an alignment of buildings interiors approximately 20 meters high and two defense walls, external and internal. There was a courtyard, which was accessed via a pointed door, where the guard post was located with the accommodation of the men-at-arms and the armoury, the warehouses and the stables. On the upper floors there were the apartments of the Lords of the castle.
