Requesenz Castle in Buscemi
Pinco Pallino - CC4.0
The Requisenz Castle is the ancient bulwark of the town of Buscemi. Today only its ruins remain.
The castle stands in an elevated position which guaranteed control of the territory. It was built in the 14th century on previous structures, probably by Guglielmo Ventimiglia, baron of Buscemi. It then passed to the Requisenz family, lords of Pantelleria, thanks to the marriage between two members of the families: Giulia Ventimiglia and Bernardo Requisenz. The castle was inhabited by the Requisenz family until the earthquake of 1693, when the Requisenz moved their residence to a building located in the current main street of the town, Corso Vittorio Emanuele, and promoted the transformation of the castle into a Capuchin convent. The monastic complex was completed around 1765 and then abandoned during the 19th century and used, for a short time, as a cemetery.
It is believed that the original layout of the Requisenz Castle had a polygonal plan, equipped with towers. Among the ruins of the castle, the key ashlar of a portal in which the heraldic shield of the Ventimiglia-Requisenz family is carved is still visible today.
