Book Hotels
Reserve online, pay at the hotel
'Best price guaranteed' by booking.com
See also: Italy car hire
Visit Paterno
Paternò is a town in south-eastern Sicily, to the south of Etna, at about 300 meters above sea level.
While the castle is the highlight of a visit, be sure to spend time exploring the rest of Paterno, and especially the old town.
Paterno castle
The building that is most representative of Paternò is certainly the Norman castle, now containing a city museum and art exhibitions. It was built on a hill in the second half of the 11th century as a fortified outpost for the conquest of the plains and with control over the “Simeto” River Valley. The castle donjon consists of a rectangular and irregular block, and is over 30 meters high with walls made of lava stone. We enter the ground floor via a staircase on the north side, to find an interior space divided into five rooms.
A large living room opens immediately after the entrance, vaulted with pointed arches, and lit by two single-light windows on the west side. On the floor of this room there was once a huge pit, now covered. The chapel is artistically important and consists of a rectangular room with a single nave and semicircular apse. The walls of the chapel show a series of mural paintings in tempera, in places very faded; on some walls the figures are still visible however, such as the Angel and the Virgin of the Annunciation, St. John the Baptist and St. Nicholas. Above the apse there are four symbols of the evangelists within a few medallions. The rest of the decoration shows some knights, among who stands out Saint George. As regard the dating of the mural paintings in tempera, most critics considered that they date back to the thirteenth century.
We reach the first floor via a stone staircase with two flights. It proceeds to the east with a large hall covered by a rib vault and illuminated by four light windows. The other half of the plan is divided into three square rooms. On the second floor the space has a great gallery with a rib vault and lit by two large mullioned windows. Finally, the structure is topped by a large terrace. The castle was also the residence of the Angevin and Moncada.
Paterno old town - a tour and churches
The old town of Paternò is best characterized by the presence of many churches of great artistic value. The Church of Santa Maria dell’Alto is the Mother Church: it was re-built in the 14th century on an earlier Norman structure, and is a Romanesque-style basilica. The façade falls in three parts, and in it stands a portal in lava stone topped by a window, while in the two sides we see two pairs of arches, of which the left has the bells. The Church is divided into three naves - note the Chapel which holds a wooden 17th century crucifix.
The Church of the Santissima Annunziata dates from the 17th century, with notable paintings of "The Death of St. Benedict", "The Martyrdom of Saint Barbara" (17th century), and "The Madonna dell'Itria" (16th century) . The Church of Santa Barbara (16th century) has a façade embellished with a loggia flanked by statues of St. Peter and St. Paul and a central niche containing the statue of Santa Barbara. Inside it is characterized by a great many paintings, as well as a large dome.
Among the other monuments we mention the holy Church of Cristo al Monte (16th century), which has a rectangular shape with a barrel vault, and contains valuable frescoes and decorations; the Church of St. Maria delle Grazie (16th century), with a barrel vault with fine decorations in Baroque style; and finally the Church and Convent of St. Francis, with a single rectangular nave and portals with pointed arches.
In recent years Paternò has developed its tradition of handicrafts production and has a permanent exhibition in the town and at the Norman castle, which exhibits important artifacts to the public in wrought iron, ceramics, and lava rock.
In the region around paterno there are also some new archaeological sites of interest, such as the cemetery where a terracotta funerary cover of the early Christian era was found, with the Christian symbols of the fish and the Trinity, and the remains of a Roman aqueduct, probably from the Age of Augustus.
Paterno food and wine
It is almost a duty to taste the cuisine of Paternò and his wines during a visit! We must not forget that we are on the slopes of Etna, which has made the soil fertile and allowed the cultivation of citrus fruits, like lemons and oranges, and olive trees. Hence the local cuisine, with starters of olives seasoned with chili peppers that accompany all kinds of vegetables. The main courses also reflect local traditions, with pasta served with broccoli or beans, and pasta seasoned with fish sauce. Finish perhaps with the typical Sicilian cakes, such as the pistachio cream, biscuits with dates and figs, baba egg, the "schiumoni" ice cream and, of course, the famous "Cassata" of Sicily.
See also Paterno history and etymology.
See the the Sicily travel guide for more places to visit in the same region as Paterno.