Mezzojuso Castle
The Mezzojuso castle stands in the main square of the town.
The date of construction is not known but it is certain that it dates back to the time of the town's foundation.
The Mezzojuso castle has never been used for defensive purposes, it has never been equipped with a drawbridge and a moat, it has no merlons or towers. In fact, it was used as a comfortable and safe residence for the owner of the Mezzojuso lands.
The first historical sources that refer to the castle date back to 1132, when the Mezzojuso feud was assigned by King Roger II to the monks of San Giovanni degli Eremiti who used this house which was called lu castello, i.e. the castle.
From 1527 the castle passed to the Corvino family and, in 1638, Don Blasco Corvino Sabea receives the title of Prince elevating the Terra di Mezzojuso to a Principality.
During the entire feudal period, and in particular between the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th century, expansion and embellishment works were carried out which gave a new look at the factory transforming it into a real stately building with warehouses, stables, deposits and rooms for accommodation.
The structure of the castle has remained, in broad terms, unchanged: the complex includes four buildings arranged around a na small central courtyard which is accessed by an elegant arched portal with ashlar flanked by two columns.
The Mezzojuso castle today houses the Pro Loco Mezzojuso and a multipurpose cultural center with the municipal library and its rooms used to welcome demonstrations and conferences.
