Castello Luna - Sciacca

The castle was built in 1380 by Guglielmo Peralta, Count of Caltafellotta, Vicar of the Kingdom of Sicily. After the death of King Frederick III, the castle came into the hands of the Luna family through the marriage between Margaretha Peralta and the Catalan count Artale di Luna.

It rises high on the rock , in the eastern part of the city, and lies within the perimeter of the old city walls. It consists of four parts : the wall, the keep, the count's palace and the cylindrical tower. The enclosure, with a polygonal plan and formed by high, strong walls, served as external defense. The keep, i.e. the main tower with a quadrangular plan, served to guard the perimeter wall, the outer grounds and the courtyard. The cylindrical tower is located within the perimeter of the wall; it has two floors and vaults of serrated asphalt.

The outer walls are 2.10 m thick; they were equipped with partially preserved battlements. Within the vast enclosed space are remains of buildings, reservoirs and silos. The castle was a small microcosm with its own socio-economic rules... It is said that it could accommodate up to 100 people.

Of the count's palace, with a rectangular plan, which was located on the west side of the castle, today only the high outer wall with four large windows from which one can admire the panorama of the city remains . From the entrance, located in the north and equipped with a drawbridge , one entered the courtyard, where the stables, the armory and a chapel dedicated to Saint Gregory were located.

The castle is one of the most interesting examples of 14th-century civil and military architecture in Sicily.

Willem Vandenameele