Cerami Castle
The Norman Castle of Cerami stands in a strategic position, on the top of a limestone cliff overlooking the town. It represents one of the most interesting models of castle architecture of the medieval period in Sicily given the perfect combination of natural and architectural elements.
It was built in the Norman era at the behest of Count Ruggero. Numerous owners followed one another over the centuries and the fortress was remodeled and expanded several times.
It is a rock castle: some rooms carved into the rock are still visible today. The central nucleus must have arisen in the place where the most consistent rock outcrops exist and only subsequent expansions led to the construction of structures on the neighboring plateau.
Today the castle is in a state of ruin but from Fazello's writings, dating back to the mid of the 16th century, and from the photographic evidence of G. Paternò-Castello of 1907, it is possible to reconstruct the structure of the ancient manor: the entrance, located to the south-east, was via a round arch, semi-ruined at the beginning of the 20th century and today completely disappeared. The presence of a base founded on the rock suggests the presence of a tower, to the north/west of which we can observe the remains of a surrounding wall. In the central part of the plateau stood the baronial palace, which consisted of two elevations and a sloping roof. There are also the ruins of the church of S. Giorgio, which is believed to be the palatine chapel. At the foot of the fortified complex there are the ruins of a second religious complex relating to the cult of St. Michael.
