Some of the most beautiful places in Sicily are located on its eastern side: think, for example, of Syracuse, Marzamemi, Taormina and Catania.
Right in the province of Catania, overlooking the Ionian Sea, it rises Aci Castello: it is a literally legendary village, rich in history and spectacular places, whose origins merge with mythology.
Aci Castello dominates, with its fraction of Aci Trezza, the beautiful Cyclops Riviera, whose name refers to the legend of Polyphemus who, angry with Ulysses, tries to sink his ship by hurling gigantic boulders at him, which today have become lava islands dotting the turquoise sea. Its symbol is Aci Castello Roll, a place full of history affected by sometimes ghostly stories, which contribute to making it even more a dark and mysterious place.
History of the Castle of Aci Castello
The fortress of Aci Castello stands on top of an isolated promontory of lava rock overlooking the sea: its position made it a perfect place to control the surrounding area and from the Greek era there was a kind of lookout place here. When in 902 the emir Ibrahim conquers a large part of Sicily and approaches the ancient Aci Castello, the citizens immediately surrender to the Arabs, paying them one gizha in exchange for protection. However, Ibrahim razed the castle to the ground, then rebuilt by Al-Moez in 909 on the same place.
What you see today of the fortress of Aci Castello is of Norman era, therefore linked to figures such as Ruggero d'Altavilla and Roberto il Guiscardo.
The castle later passed into the hands of the bishops, becoming the very first place that welcomed the sacred relics of Sant'Agata, coming directly from the city of Constantinople.
It was the scene of bitter struggles between the Anjou and Aragonese, until it became a terrible one in the 50s prigione: the prisoners here lived in pitiful conditions, often dying there, forgotten by all.
After being damaged by the devastating earthquake of 1693, the Rocca di Aci Castello also became air-raid shelter during the Second World War: since 1985 it has been the seat of Civic Museum of Aci Castello, where minerals from all over Sicily are kept, very ancient bone finds and objects related to the daily life of prehistoric man.
Curiosities about Aci Castello: stories of prisoners and ghosts
Like any castle, the Rocca di Aci Castello also has its dark legends, such as that of cacciatore who, wandering around the territories surrounding the fortress, comes across a magpie. He kills her, unaware that she was an animal owned by the cruel governor of the Castle.
When the latter found out about it, he had him imprisoned and the hunter remained in prison for 13 very long years. One day the Grand Duke of Massa arrived at the Rocca and heard a very sweet melody coming from the dungeons: it was the hunter himself who sang it and when the nobleman found out about it, he asked for the man's immediate release.
The Rocca di Aci Castello then seems to be haunted by Ghosts and luminous presences: in fact, there are many testimonies that would confirm the presence of these ghosts, giving the castle an even more magical and sinister atmosphere.
Famous is the story told by the old man guardian of the Castle of Aci Castello: in fact he claims to have seen, inside a room, a group of incorporeal figures who seemed very similar to ancient warriors, intent on making their life in the fortress, almost unaware of the presence of the living in the building.
Much more terrifying are the testimonies of a group of employed of the municipality of Aci Catello, who found themselves working late in the Rocca. Suddenly the three women were interrupted by sinister noises, similar to the crawling of heavy ones chains on the floor. THE moans what followed, to say the least gruesome, led the employees to flee instantly from the Castle, never setting foot again.
Although to many these stories may seem only stories created to impress the most fearful, it is good to remember that Giovanni Verga himself, in his collection The stories of the Castle of Trezza, just mentions the ghosts of the Rocca.
Anyone who is passionate about literature and ghost stories cannot fail to visit Aci Castello, the Sicilian city where Giovanni Verga set one of his most famous novels, i.e. I Malavoglia and where the Rocca stands out as a symbolic monument, full of history and of sinister legends.
© Image by Eduardo M. from Nice, France, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
