Aragonese Castle in Piazza Armerina
Davide Mauro - CC4.0
The Aragonese Castle in Piazza Armerina, located in the upper part of the town, on the south side of Colle Mira, is one of the main monuments of the city.
It was built in 1392 at the behest of the King of Sicily, Martino I the Younger. The castle was built for defensive purposes but also became the seat of the king's provost. For this reason it played a fundamental role for the city and became the economic center of the village as the castellan imposed heavy taxes on the population. From 1438 to 1812, no historical news concerning the castle has come down to us. It is known that in 1812, the date on which the law to suppress the castellanies was passed, the castle was used as a prison.
From an architectural point of view, the castle shows traces of the original fourteenth-century construction only in the foundations. Its original architecture foresaw the presence of a second floor, of which only a few traces remain today, which must have completely changed the current appearance of the castle, squat and not very slender.
It has a quadrangular plan, whose corners stand four towers also quadrangular. Only one of the towers is entirely visible today. The structure of the building is divided into two distinct bodies joined transversely, one to the south and one to the north. The castle is accessed through an imposing portal on the south side. However, it is believed that this access was not the only one to the castle and above all it was not the main access as it is located in the part most exposed to the hypothetical attacks of the aggressors. The castle is surrounded by walls, smooth and without openings except on the south side where there are false windows and merlons.
Currently the Aragonese Castle is privately owned and it is not possible to visit the interior.
