Calatubo castle, in Latin castrum Calathatubi, is an ancient fortress in the countryside of Alcamo, clearly visible from the A29 motorway. The site has been used since very early times, with remains of an Elymian settlement and a necropolis of the seventh century BC. The castle's origins go back to the Norman period: in 1093, setting the boundaries of the diocese of Mazara, Count Roger included Calatubo with all its dependencies. Around it stood a village that lived on grain and on millstones quarried along the Finocchio stream, as recorded by the geographer al-Idrisi in the Book of Roger of 1154.
What to see
From the Middle Ages the castle was part of the chain of towers and forts between Palermo and Trapani that exchanged light signals in case of attack, linking the outposts of Carini, Partinico and Castellammare del Golfo. In 1338 it was granted to Raimondo Peralta, count of Caltabellotta. After the village was abandoned following the conquest by Frederick II, the fortress became a baglio, with storerooms and stables for the estate, and at the end of the nineteenth century Calatubo wine was made in the second courtyard.
The complex stretches east to west on a limestone crag at about 152 metres above sea level, from which you can see Monte Bonifato and the Gulf of Castellammare. It is inaccessible on three sides; from the only entrance, on the west, a stepped ramp leads to the first circuit, with a well and a single-hall church, then to a courtyard, the second and third circuits with an oblong tower, and finally to the rectangular main core on the south side of the crag.
Visiting
The castle remained in good condition until the Belice earthquake of 1968; since then its use as a sheepfold, illegal digging and a fire in July 2013 have damaged it. In 2007 it was bought by the municipality; nominated several times to FAI's Luoghi del Cuore, it came third in the 2014-2015 ranking. It is normally closed as unsafe, but it has opened on a few days thanks to the association Salviamo il Castello di Calatubo: in March 2015 there were about five thousand visitors. Any openings should be checked.
Our editors' tip
A popular belief tells of long underground tunnels that would link Calatubo to the castle of the counts of Modica and to the Ventimiglia castle on Monte Bonifato.
