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Visit Castroreale
Castroreale is located a few kilometers inland in north-east Sicily (south of Milazzo). it is perhaps best known for the important works of art to be seen in the Civic Museum, the Pinacotheca, the churches of the city and its surroundings.
Start your visit to Castroreale, perhaps, in Piazza Marconi, home to the Mother Church and dedicated to the Assumption. Built in the 15th century, it was enlarged in the early decades of the 17th century. The main façade features a buttress and a bell tower dating from the first decade of the 16th century, while the side wall has a marble portal of the 17th century. The interior has a Latin cross form with three naves divided by sixteen columns of gray sandstone. In addition to the four 17th century paintings by local painters Francesco Cardillo (17th century) and Filippo Jannelli (1621-1696) , placed on the four altars, there are eight statues by famous artists and four sculpted fonts by Antonello Gagini and Sebastiano Ferrara (17th century).
Heading along the "Corso Umberto I", is the 15th century Church of the so-called "Candelora", with a brick façade decorated with a portal of “Durazzesco” style, with a segmental arch. The church contains a wooden altar with carvings, a work of the seventeenth century, attributed to Giovanni Siracusa.
A climbing path leads to the remains of the round tower of the castle built by Frederick II of Aragon. Towards the “Piazza Peculio” we find the “Town Hall” with the Jewish old quarter where presumably a synagogue was situated. The square is flanked by the Church of the “SS. Salvatore” (15th century), damaged by an earthquake, and the bell tower, partially collapsed and dating back to the second half of the 16th century.
Continuing along the "Via Guglielmo Siracusa" there is the Pinacotheca of “Santa Maria degli Angeli”. The church of Santa Maria degli Angeli is not used for worship today, now being used as a very interesting art gallery containing works from the 15th-16th centuries, especially on sacred subjects. Among the notable works are a triptych of the 16th century Flemish School; a marble statue of the Virgin, by Antonello Freri (16th century); "St. John the Baptist" by Andrea Calamech; "San Lorenzo" by Brother Simpliciano da Palermo, also from the 16th century; and a silver frontal by Filippo Juvarra (1678-1736). Note also a polyptych of the "Nativity" of the Neapolitan School of G.F. Criscuolo (16th century).
Still with the artistic treasures of Castroreale, the Oratory of St. Philip Neri contains "Civic Museum", which holds sculptures in wood and marble, among which there is the tomb of Geronimo Rosso by Antonello Gagini, and a series of remarkable paintings. Of particular note are a Byzantine cross, a painting depicting the "Madonna and Child” by Antonello de Saliba (1467-1535), a painting by Fra Simpliciano da Palermo and a small painting depicting the “Salvator Mundi” by Polidoro da Caravaggio* (1500-1543), an artist who suffered the influence of Raffaello Sanzio (1483-1520).
Continuing with the religious buildings of Castroreale, rich in works of art, visit the Church of Sant 'Agata, probably dating from the early 15th century and rebuilt in the 19th century, which holds the "Annunciation" by Antonello Gagini, and a statue of “Sant 'Agata” by Montorsoli (1507-1563). Nearby is the Church of Santa Marina, which incorporates some structures from Norman times.
Along the “Via Cesare Battisti” we come to the Capuchin Monastery, built in the early seventeenth century. Next to it is the church of “S. Maria delle Grazie”, which has on the high altar a painting by an unknown artist, depicting the “Madonna delle Grazie, Sant 'Agata e Santa Caterina d’Alessandria”, from the second half of the sixteenth century.
Exploring around Castroreale
Villages: The surroundings of Castroreale are rich in valuable works of art, such as in Protonotaro, in which the Mother Church, dedicated to “Santa Domenica”, holds a painting of the “Madonna Enthroned with Saints Dominic and Catherine of Alexandria”, by an unknown artist of the 16th century. In Centineo, in the church of St. Mary of the Visitation, there is a painting from the mid-16th century depicting the “Visitation”, and the “Madonna dell'Itria” by Giovan Domenico Quagliata (1603-1673). In the village of San Antonino, there is the Monastery of the Friars Minor of St. Anthony of Padua, in which is a cloister of the sixteenth century. In the church of the Monastery there is a wooden statue of St. Francis, a Crucifix of the early sixteenth century, and a painting by Filippo Iannelli depicting the "Madonna dell'Itria".
Thermal resorts: Castroreale is also famous for the so-called “Terme Vigliatore”, the beach resorts with their healing waters. In the village of San Biagio there are the remains of a Roman villa with a mosaic floor from the second half of the first century AD. In the villa, the rooms of which are arranged around a square peristyle, was the "frigidarium", characterized by a mosaic floor in black and white tiles depicting scenes of fishing and some species of local fish. Even today we can also see fragments of frescoes, sculptures, and ceramics.
Castroreale with its mild climate and the particular habitat is ideal for those wishing to enjoy a mountain hike.
Of course no visit to Castroreale is complete without a visit to a local restaurant or two: try some typical local dishes, such as the “maccarruni” ("homemade macaroni"), topped with meat sauce and ricotta; the "black rice", which is a traditional dish that is eaten at Christmas; and finally, among the sweets, the so-called "biscotti d'a badessa" ["cookies of the Abbess"] - this recipe, it is said, goes back to the Poor Clares in the nineteenth century, when they were in the Convent of Santa Maria degli Angeli.
See also Castroreale history and etymology.