A Mare Castel in Palermo
The Archaeological Area of Castello a Mare in Palermo today constitutes more than half of the Trapezoidal pier of the port of Palermo.
The fortress, over the centuries, has been enlarged and modified in order to meet the needs of various governments and different dominations. It was the residence of the viceroy of Sicily and also the Sicilian seat of the Court of the Inquisition. In the Bourbon period it was abandoned. Between the 1920s and the Second World War it was demolished and what remained was damaged by bombing.
In 2009, on the occasion of excavations begun in 2006 to return to the city the remains of an Arab settlement in Piazza XIII Vittime, it is was partially brought to light to then become the nucleus of the Archaeological Park of Castellammare.
The fortress , until 1923, had a quadrangular wall surrounded by the sea on two sides, which enclosed an enormous architectural complex. In ancient times the castle was composed of a large male from the Arab era, some Norman parts, such as the Bagnara Chapel, fifteenth-century ramparts and entrance area, a Renaissance building, a sixteenth-century church, the Madonna di Piedigrotta, built on an ancient Arab mosque , two low hexagonal towers and many other more recent structures and factories. Of the ancient buildings, part of the main tower, the cylindrical tower and the entrance body remain.
Inside the park you can visit two main areas: the Torre Mastra , surrounded by an area of respect, and a large archaeological area with the heterogeneous set of buildings that characterize it.
The site is now also home to concerts and major events linked to the Palermo area.
