History and etymology of Castellammare del Golfo

“Castellammare del Golfo” is the modern name denoting the ancient “Emporium Segestanorum”; (Emporium of Segesta); it is located east  of Eryx and north of Segesta. The form used by Greek authors is "Emporion", that is a “town of maritime ??trade” (See G.B. Pellegrini, “Toponomastica italiana …”, Hoepli, 1990, p. 82). The "emporium" of Castellammare in Sicily was thus one of the clearest monuments of the opulence and extensive commerce of Segesta  [About Segesta, See the article in this Website]. Several ancient authors wrote on this trading port of the Elymi ; for example, it was mentioned by Strabo (64 BC-19 AD), Ptolemy (100-175 AD), and Diodorus (90-27 BC).

“ […] This emporium seems to have grown up in the days of Strabo to be a more important place than Segesta itself: but the continued existence of the ancient city is attested both by Pliny (23-79 AD) and Ptolemy; and we learn from the former that the inhabitants, though they no longer retained their position of nominal independence, enjoyed the privileges of the Latin citizenship. (Strab. I.; Plin. III. 8. s. 14; Ptol. III, 4. Paragraph 15.) It seems, however, to have been a decaying place, and no trace of it is subsequently found in history. The site is said to have been finally abandoned, in consequence of the ravages of the Saracens, in A. D. 900 (Amico, ad Fazell. Sic. VII. 4. not. 9), and is now wholly desolate ; but the town of ‘Castel 'a Mare’, about 6 miles distant, occupies nearly, if not precisely, the same site as the ancient emporium or port of Segesta.” ( See Sir W. Smith, “Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography”, 1857, p.949). Thanks to trade and its port, Segesta, according to Cicero (106-43 BC) had a sought-after territory by the Roman aristocracy, for which an odd cultivated field was worth about 6000 sesterces ("In Verrem", III, 49).

Another peculiar feature of “Castellammare del Golfo”, until the earliest times were the baths. Strabo said that “Calidarum aquarum scaturigines habet Sicilia multis in locis, e quibus Selinuntiae et ad Himerae salsae sunt; Segestanae vero potabiles” (Book VI) [Sicily has hot springs in many places, among which  those of Selinunte and Hymera are salty, while Segesta has potable water]. Speaking of hot springs, according to some critics, they were also called "Aquae Perticianenses" or "Pincianae”, and presumably they were located in the ancient “Emporium”; on this issue  a scientific debate has arisen; because, according to some critics, they were situated at Selinunte. Although the issue remains uncertain, some scholars are inclined to place the famous "Aquae Pincianae" in the 'Emporium Segestanorum”: “It is true that Aquae Perticianenses' location is unknown.

It has been suggested that Aquae Perticianenses is but another name of for Aquae Segestanae (…) Perhaps Aquae Perticianenses is located at Castellammare del Golfo?” ( See Gerald Verbrugghe, “Sicilia”, 1976, pp. 71 ff.). Of this opinion is the Paulys Real-Encyclopädie, which speaks of " Aquae Perticianenses or Segestanae or Pincianae.”  (See Paulys Real-Encyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft: neue Bearbeitung, J. B. Metzler, 1963, p.  XXXVII. See also Forcellini [ “Totius latinitatis lexicon opera et studio Aegidii Forcellini …”, 1867, p. 392: “Aquae [waters] Segestanae aut Pincianae, in Sicilia hodie [today]  Castellam[m]are”  ].

The Romans were lovers of the thermal waters, and they built spas throughout the Empire. The use of the baths is of Greek origin, but because the Romans had a cult for the Greek traditions, that use over time was engaged by the Roman culture. The hydro-therapy among the Ancients was almost  of sacral value, as it was certainly founded on the concept of physical "purification", but also on the metaphysical concept of "purification of the soul." The methods of baths were tied to very strict health regulations, consisting of alternating a cold with a warm bath. The spas were characterized by some important hygienic criteria, that is by a cubicle called "apodyterium,"  a room prepared for the cold bath, the so-called "frigidarium", a communicating room, that is the "tepidarium" and finally by the room for a hot bath (the ‘calidarium’). The room used for the sauna was called "Laconicum" which means "Spartan," a term that emphasized the Greek origin of the spa. The sauna was a decongestant means of therapy  which enjoyed great prestige among the Romans, since the treatment was recommended by physicians such as Celsus (25 Bc-50 AD) and Galen (129-216 AD), according to whom the sauna not only stimulated the sweating, but also the circulation of the blood.

The waters of the Bath of Segesta flow at a temperature of about 46 degrees and they are very rich in hydrogen sulphide. The local spa implement the mud-therapy and the hyper-thermal baths in swimming pools for inhalations and irrigations. The therapeutic indications pertain to diseases of the musculoskeletal system and rheumatoid arthritis; moreover, the thermal therapy is also indicated for skin diseases, and diseases of the respiratory tract (On these aspects of the Bath of Segesta, See the important and detailed essay by  L.M. Bonica Santamaria, “Il Termalismo in Sicilia”, in “Archivio storico siciliano”, Messina, 2001, 82, pp. 17-84).

"Castellammare del Golfo" is the Italian translation of the Late Latin expression “Castrum ad Mare de Gulfo”, that, after the splendours of antiquity, suffered a kind of oblivion, at least until the Arab times. The Middle Ages let spas slide, presumably for reasons related to the fact that they were considered a  "pagan"  residual  and also (and especially) because of the lack of a sufficient wholesome way of life. The "Castrum ad mare de Gulfo" is a name that lasted a long time, and it was “attested in the sources for centuries (…) until the achievement of the modern “Castellammare del Golfo” name (F. Maurici). Here the Arabs built also a fortress, which was later reinforced in Norman times.

The castle was originally surrounded by the sea on three sides and it was connected to the mainland by a drawbridge, which was then built in brick between the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Some ruins of the oldest structure, later incorporated in other walls, are still visible; these evidences allowed to assume the original structure having polygonal bastions and the crenellated walls of the village leaning directly to the castle. This bastions were enhanced on the northern side by a low cylindrical tower that probably was built around 1537; here there were the residential areas, characterized by large balconies. A cylindrical tower with an internal staircase allows access to the upper terrace. The castle is accessible from town by a stone bridge which crosses the ancient moat cut into the rock.

Over the centuries, the “castrum ad mare” and the village around it belonged to various local lords and it began to develop under the Aragonese.  Frederick II of Aragon (1272-1337) designed Lord of the town  Frederick of Antioch, who, however, betrayed, sold out to the French. In fact, according to the pro-Aragonese chronicler Michele Piazza, Frederick of Antioch,  “get over later  'Roberti regis in partibus' [on the side of King Robert of Anjou (1277-1343)]  (...)  'Continuus animabat (…) die noctuque’, et multa et sophistica argumenta "[continually he pressed him, day and night, with many  sophistic arguments] to convince the Angevin king  ‘ ad mittendum in Siciliam  gentem suam’" [to send his army in Sicily] (See S. Tramontana, “Gli anni del Vespro …”, Dedalo , 1989, p. 270).

Then the fortress belonged to Robert of Anjou, and later to Peter II of Aragon (1304-1342), who in 1336 gave it to Raymond of Peralla and his descendants. King Martin (1356-1410) in 1399 gave the city to John Perollo, and then it returned to the  Peralla family, whose members were Lords of “Castellammare del Golfo” at the beginning of the fifteenth century. Then the feud belonged to Peter Spadafora and Ruffo, Sigismondo de Luna (died 1530) and finally to Baldassarre Naselli (17th century) (See M. Amico-G. Di Marzo,”Dizionario topografico della Sicilia”, 1855, Vol. I. p. 258). According to F. Maurici, the town was “completely omitted by historical sources until Al Idrisi, mentioning  the port, spa and  fortress (‘hisn’) called in Arabic al-Madarig ('Le Scale' [ The Stairs])" (See F. Maurici, “Sicilia bizantina …”, In “Atti quarte  giornate di studi sull’area elima”, 2003, p. 902 ).