In the heart of the lower Valle del Torto stands the small village of Caccamo, located in the shadow of Monte San Calogero (also known as Eurako) at 521 m. of height.
What makes this town, just over 47 km from Palermo, interesting is its Castle, considered one of the most important examples of medieval architecture in all of Sicily and Italy. The fortress stands spectacularly on top of a cliff, at the foot of Monte Rotondo and dominates the Rosemary dam , Leonardo river valley.
Ghost of Caccamo Castle: legends and stories of conspiracies
The documented history of Caccamo Castle it begins in 1094 when Goffredo de Sagejo obtains the feud of the same name when he reaches Sicily with the Norman Ruggero. After about 50 years, Caccamo passed to the Bonellos, with whom the fortress was restored to such an extent that it became almost impregnable.
The Bonellos were followed in the XNUMXth century by the Chiaramontes, the Amatos (who transformed the castle into an elegant residence) and then the De Spuches: in this regard Don Giuseppe deserves a mention, husband of the poetess Giuseppina Turrini Colonna, who made the fortress a important cultural centre.
La history of the Castle of Caccamo but it is also steeped in mystery and one of the most evocative legends which concerns this place is placed in the period in which the Castle was in the hands of the bonello. Famous is the Conspiracy of the Barons of 1660, whose promoter was Matteo Bonello. The man planned, together with other conspirators, to ambush Maione da Bari, prime minister of King William I. The ambush initially worked, causing the death of Maione da Bari and the capture of the sovereign: the people, however, eventually news of the kidnapping, he rose up and freed William I.
Matteo Bonello then found refuge in the Castle of Caccamo and this hiding place proved to be safe for the rebel, proving to be truly impenetrable. Only deception brought victory to the king, who made Bonello believe he had been forgiven, thus leading him to leave the castle and then be captured.
Terrible was the revenge of Guglielmo I, who tortured Bonello, severing the nerves in his heels and gouging out his eyes.
It is said that the ghost of Matteo Bonello still wanders among the rooms of the Castle today, in search of that peace that was violently deprived of him in life by William the Bad.
The specter of the nun in the Castle of Caccamo
Matteo Bonello's ghost probably loves to stay in the Great Hall where he put his conspiracy against the king, as well as perhaps wandering around those prisons that saw him in shackles and subjected to terrifying torture: visiting the prisons it is still possible to see the writings left on the walls by the desperate and hopeless prisoners.
In any case, this room is one of the most beautiful corners of the Castle, together with the dining room embellished with frescoes and floor mosaics, the theater and the Sala d'Armi, where swords and war shields are exhibited.
Outside, however, you can visit the guardhouse, the stables and then the small private chapel, adjacent to a panoramic terrace. Speaking of churches, one cannot fail to mention another one legend which cloaks the Caccamo Castle and it concerns a nun. It is said that every full moon night, at the stroke of midnight, the ghost of a nun in a white robe appears in the corridors of the castle with a pomegranate in hand. Legend has it that anyone who encounters this ghost in Caccamo Castle and manages to eat the red fruit without ever touching her hand, she will be able to find a rich treasure.
The surroundings of the Castle of Caccamo
However, the Castle is not the only attraction of Caccamo: in fact, it is worth a visit Cathedral of St. George in Piazza Duomo: this religious building houses works of art such as a Flemish painting by Mathias Stomer, a triptych depicting the Virgin and Child and a baptismal font attributed to the great sculptor Domenico Gagini.
Equally beautiful are the Church of the Annunciation with its St. Joseph's Staircase and the Church of San Benedetto alla Badia: although the latter appears simple and sober on the outside, inside there are majolica floors and stuccos by Sanseverino.
Every self-respecting castle has its legends and that of Caccamo is no exception: lovers of stories of restless ghosts cannot fail to reach this village in the Palermo area, with the opportunity to also discover its historical and artistic heritage.
© Image by Pequod76, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
