Nicosia Castle
The Castle of Nicosia is located on the highest point of Mount Monte San Giorgio and dominates the entire city.
Of Muslim origin, it was rebuilt in 1062 by the Normans as a defensive outpost.
The fortified complex originally consisted of two castles connected to each other by a wall and a bridge with battlements.
Of particular value is the imposing bastion of the Norman bridge with a pointed arch, inside which is the Norman coat of arms, flanked by two towers for the guard at the door. After the arch, on the left, is the entrance door to the castle with walls. Going up a small path you arrive at the Castello Grande, once made up of 4 towers where all the armed men lived. From the Castello Grande one reached the long bridge equipped with battlements for defense on both sides. Under the bridge is the legendary cave of Nigrò, used as a burial ground and protagonist of numerous legends. Going over the bridge you reach the Castelletto, the place where the Castellano and his family lived.
Of the ancient manor today a good part of the foundations of the boundary walls and the two towers remain. The most significant ruins are those of a rectangular tower that rises directly on the rocks on the north side of the cliff. The tower was originally surrounded by a curtain wall of which very few remains remain.
