The castle of the counts of Modica, also called Alcamo castle, is a medieval fortress in the centre of town. Building began around 1340 under Raimondo Peralta, count of Caltabellotta, and ended in 1350 under the feudal lords Enrico and Federico Chiaramonte; the castle is first mentioned in a diploma of 1391. It was a residence and a defensive stronghold until the sixteenth century: supplied with munitions and food it could hold out for a month and a half, with 30 companies of soldiers. From 1410 to 1812 it belonged to the Cabrera, counts of Modica, after whom it is named.
What to see
The plan is rhomboid, with a nearly rectangular courtyard in the centre, and the walls are of roughly dressed stone, with well-squared blocks only at the corners of the towers and around openings. At the corners rise four battlemented towers, two square and two round, each with its own role: in the tallest square tower, the Torre Maestra to the south-east, prisoners were tortured; the lower square one, to the north-west, was for sentries; the round one to the north-east housed distinguished guests. The sides have two- and three-light windows of Gothic-Catalan style.
The ground floor held a chapel, rooms for the chaplain and servants and an isolation cell; the first floor had the reception hall, the count's study and the bedrooms. In 1392 King Martin and the queen stayed here after the defeat of the Chiaramonte, and on 1 September 1535, returning from victory at Tunis, Emperor Charles V spent three days in one of the towers with his court. In 1534 the castle was attacked by the corsair Barbarossa.
Visiting
Since 1828 the castle has belonged to the municipality, which used it as offices, a stable and, from 1870 to 1968, a prison. After restoration between 2000 and 2010 it houses the Ethnographic Museum, the Regional Historic Wine Library, the Museum of Wine and Traditions, a display of Sicilian puppets and sculptures by Nicola Rubino, and civil weddings are held on the first floor. Reopened in December 2015 after closures due to cracks, it still has parts that are off limits: opening times and routes should be checked.
Our editors' tip
Walk round the south-west round tower: it bears the coat of arms of the town of Alcamo carved in marble.
