Castroreale
Member of I Borghi più belli d'Italia
King Frederick III of Aragon rebuilt the castle here in 1324 and made it a favourite residence, so the town became 'royal'. Its steep medieval lanes, paved with local stone called jacatu, open onto belvedere squares on Colle Torace in the Peloritani mountains. Over 80 churches crowd the small town, and in Holy Week a crucifix fixed to a 13-metre pole is carried through the streets.
Highlights
- The Duomo, with Renaissance marble statues and a camera-obscura meridian line
- Antonello Gagini's signed marble Annunciation (1519) in Sant'Agata
- Processione del Cristo Lungo, the tall crucifix carried through the lanes in Holy Week
- The castle tower, last remnant of Frederick's fortress, now part of a hostel
- A Moorish arch, all that remains of the 15th-century synagogue
Text adapted from Wikipedia (Castroreale (IT), Castroreale (EN)), Wikivoyage (Castroreale). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Population: 2,246
Things to see
Events through the year
- Processione del Cristo LungoOn 25 August it marks the town's escape from cholera in 1854
- Jazz festival
- Pork and wild boar sagra
- Sagra del biscotto castricianuCelebrates the local biscuit first made by the Poor Clare nuns
- Feast of Saint SylvesterPatron since the town escaped an attack on 31 December 1538
- Living nativity
Dates follow the traditional patterns in our sources: check locally before you travel.
Adapted from Wikipedia (Castroreale), Wikivoyage (Castroreale). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Local food & wine
- Biscotto d'a BadissaSweetOld biscuit recipe tied to the Poor Clare nuns' convent
Adapted from Wikipedia (Castroreale). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to sleep
2 places to stay within 3 km
- B&Bs and guest houses 2
Data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Nearby member villages
- Novara di Sicilia · 12 km
- Savoca · 19 km
- Montalbano Elicona · 20 km
- Forza d'Agrò · 23 km
- Castiglione di Sicilia · 26 km