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Visit Alcamo
Alcamo is situated on the slopes of Mount Bonifato, at 256 meters above sea level, in front of Castellammare del Golfo, near Trapani in north-west Sicily.
Alcamo: Among Castles, Art and Nature
The country of Alcamo is dotted with castles, in defense of an area highly exposed to attacks. There were three main strongholds in the area: the Bonifato Castle, the Castle of Alcamo and that of Calatubo*.
*We talk of three fortresses that have always aroused the interest of experts and historians. In the war between Frederick III and the Angevin kings, the castles played a key role in the military system of the island and they formed the support points of the defense organized by Frederick III. Some strategically important castles were strengthened, as was the case with the fortress of Bonifato.
The castle of Calatubo is situated in the territory of Alcamo on a rocky-bed that dominates the Gulf of Castellammare and the vast hinterland to Mt Bonifato. The castle is large and has its own entrance to the west, where the slope is less steep. We enter the castle through a slope, and inside the walls there are a well and a church. The courtyard is dominated by the castle, with its façade topped by turrets which preserve traces of battlements. The north side faces a triangular courtyard, beneath which there is a cistern.
Archaeological excavations show that the site where the castle of Calatubo is located is of ancient settlement, as evidenced by a necropolis dating back presumably to the seventh and fifth centuries BC.
Now, entering in the Old Town of Alcamo we can visit the sole intact castle in the territory of Alcamo. The "Castle of the Counts of Modica” is situated between the “Piazza Castello” and “Piazza della Repubblica”; it was partly restored in the middle of the14th century by some members of the Chiaromonte family, who followed the Peralta as Lords of Alcamo.
The imposing structure of the castle has a rectangular shape with four towers at the top, two of which are rectangular and the other two cylinders, each with a vaulted ceiling. In the higher square tower the convicts were held while the third housed the sentries and the fourth room was for guests. The castle was equipped with several doors, one called "The Secret", facing south, which leads to the moat, a second on the west front with a wooden door and the third door to the north leading to the main staircase and which after 1626 was paved with red marble from Alcamo. The west side is decorated with elegant windows framed with carved rings. Today the castle houses the Regional wine shop and the Museum of the country traditions.
Other Alcamo highlights
Besides the castle, also worthy of mention is the Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption. Built in the middle of the 14th century and enlarged in later centuries it is a basilica with three naves and two rows of columns of red marble from Mount Bonifato. The cathedral contains many works of great artistic value such as the frescoes of the vault and other paintings by the Flemish artist Guglielmo Borremans (1670-1744).
Guglielmo Borremans worked at Alcamo in the first half of the 18th century, performing two works that are kept at the Church of SS. Cosmas and Damian, and in 1735 he executed the frescoes of the vault in the nave of the Basilica of St. Maria Assunta, which were completed in 1737. Noteworthy is the high relief depicting 'The Transit of the Virgin' (carved, according to the documents, in 1529) and a marble ciborium with Saints Philip and James (carved around 1519) by Antonello Gagini (1478-1536 ), while the statue of St Peter is by Giacomo Gagini (1517-1598).
Important from a purely artistic point of view is the Church of SS. Paul and Bartholomew, the local expression of the Baroque style. It was built in 1689 and it keeps some stuccoes by Gabriele Messina (18th century) and frescoes by Antonino Grano (1660-1718). The façade was made in 1782 and designed by Emanuele Cardona (1750-1836). The Church holds valuable works of art by Giuseppe Felice [1706-1776] (St Peter and St Paul), and the 'Madonna del Miele', the most ancient painting found in Alcamo, and attributed to Barnaba da Modena (1328-1386).
The Church of SS. Cosmas and Damian was founded in 1500 but its current structure, designed by Giuseppe Mariani (18th century), dates back to 1721. The interior, of Baroque style, has a single nave. Of particular value are the statues made in 1722 by Giacomo Serpotta (1656-1732), and two paintings by the Flemish artist Guglielmo Borremans. Serpotta executed stucco statues, symbolically representing the Justice, Charity, Peace and Fortress. The symbols are pretty clear: the Roman balance and the scimitar for the Justice, an olive branch for the Peace, a woman with a cuirasse for the Fortress.
Among the important features of other churches, note the impressive portal of the Church of St. Thomas (dating back to the middle of the 15th century, of Gothic-Catalan style, with Corinthian capitals) and the Church of Santa Oliva (16th century), which houses works of the Gagini and the"Souls in Purgatory" by Pietro Novelli (1603-1647). Between the fifteenth and the eighteenth century was built the Church of Jesus, a typical example of the local Baroque style.
Outside Alcamo
At this point, we suggest a trip to the "Wood Reserve of Alcamo”, on Mount Bonifato, where there is the Church of the “Madonna dell'Alto”, built in the seventeenth century.
For seaside enthusiast there is the beach of “Alcamo Marina”, where recently the remains of a brick kiln of Roman origin were discovered.
Alcamo, stands out in the territory of Castellammare del Golfo for its local agricultural products (figs, eggplants, melons, oranges), but above all for its wine production, especially for white wine, which is always accompanied by certain dishes such as the vegetable soups, grilled fish, stuffed mussels, mussel soup and usually fish, fried vegetables, and sheep cheese.
See also Alcamo history and etymology.