Castle of Novara of Sicily
The ruins of the Castle of Novara di Sicilia rise north of Rocca Salvatesta and Rocca Leone, dominating the entire valley of the San Giorgio stream. The fortified building is located in the district of the same name, behind the cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, and from it it is possible to enjoy a panorama that ranges from the promontory of Tindari to the entire course of the Mazzarrà stream among the Peloritani.
It is believed that the first fortified nucleus was built by the Goths in the fifth century. The current building dates back to 827, it was built by the Saracens who made the castle the new center of civil life: before then all the activities revolved around the fortification of the Casalini district, inhabited until the entire Byzantine era. The castle passed under the power of a colony of Lombards, Aleramici, of the Catholic religion of the Latin rite following Roger I of Altavilla and in 1171 the abbey of Santa Maria Nucaria was founded, the first building of the Cistercian order in Sicily. This Lombardi colony left a Gallo-Italic imprint still present today in the Novarese dialect.
Today only a few ruins remain of the castle: there are the remains of one of the four towers that originally made up the castle. The castle was destroyed as a result of landslides and earthquakes but also due to the fact that, in the past, the stones that made it up were used to build the houses in the village.
On the facade of a tower of the castle it was once placed a plaque with ancient engravings which today is exhibited in Scala di Patti in the museum of Baron Sciacca.
