Castello Normanno di Aci Castello

About the museum

The castle stands on a promontory of basaltic lava above the sea, reachable only by a masonry staircase. The first known fortification dates from the Byzantine age, between the 6th and 7th centuries, and was called Castrum Jacis. In 902, after the Muslim conquest, the fortifications were razed to the ground; after the Norman conquest, in 1092, the castle and surrounding territory were granted to the abbot and bishop of Catania, Angerius, in the first known document on the Terra di Aci.

In the 13th century, during the Sicilian Vespers, the fortress came under the lordship of Ruggero di Lauria; in the Aragonese period it belonged to Giovanni di Sicilia and then to the Alagona family, and it endured numerous sieges. Few structures remain of the complex: the entrance with the remains of the drawbridge, the square keep known as the donjon, a courtyard with a small botanical garden, several rooms, a chapel considered by some to be Byzantine, and a wide panoramic terrace over the gulf.

Between 1967 and 1969 the castle was restored, and since 1985 it has been open to visitors as the seat of the civic museum, arranged in three sections devoted to mineralogy, palaeontology and archaeology. One room, known as the Cappella bizantina (Byzantine chapel), is named after the painter Jean Calogero and holds three of his paintings of the local landscape.

Highlights

• Norman fortress on a lava cliff above the sea
• Square keep (donjon)
• Civic museum of mineralogy, palaeontology and archaeology
• Panoramic terrace over the gulf
• Jean Calogero Room with three paintings

Founded

1985

Operated by

Comune di Aci Castello

Admission & discounts

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Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The castle stands on a lava cliff reachable only by a masonry staircase.

Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

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Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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