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THE CASTLES |
  
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| This is perhaps the least known aspect but perhaps for this very reason the most fascinating. In the 82 communes that make up the province of Palermo there are forty castles, not counting the splendid Castello della Zisa in Palermo itself, one of the most famous Norman monuments; its name derives from the Arabic "el aziz" and it was built during the reign of William I, between 1154 and 1166. These forty castles and the dozens of eighteenth-century villas at Bagheria and in the hills are indicative of the old noble history of this part of the island. The spectacular and grandiose feudal castle of Caccamo, the largest in Sicily, stands on a picturesque rocky spur (521 metres) overlooking the town. It is not known when the castle was first founded, but its architectural development is spread over three periods, corresponding to the three families that ruled there. The mysterious Castello di Carini is a typically feudal manor with a fortified village. The history of this castle is entwined with the popular legend according to which the Baroness Carini was murdered by her father in 1563. Also in the Madonie area, the castle of Castelbuono has stucco decorations of the Serpotti school in the Chapel of Sant'Anna; only a few ruins remain of the castle at Geragi Siculo, but they are still imposing and rich in the history of the Ventimiglia family. At San Nicola l'Arena there is a fifteenth-century castle that blends harmoniously with the coastal landscape of Bagheria; the castle of Marineo dates back to the time of Charles d'Anjou; the castle of Cefalù stands on a rock at a height of 657 metres; finally the castle of Giuliana, a typical example of Swabian architecture, and the castle of Isnello.
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