Resuttano Castle

Italy is certainly full of places of unparalleled beauty, full of history and charm that are out of the ordinary. Yet there are still many unknown places today, ones that need to be discovered step by step. One of them is the Resuttano Castle, dating back to the Arab period (so much so that even the name brings to mind the period of Arab domination in Sicily, since the word "rahl" means "farmhouse").
The importance of this castle is given primarily by its particular geographical position, since it is a fort that is located 458 meters above sea level and also has a particular geographical position, as it stands on the banks of the Southern Imera along a an ancient road that many centuries ago connected the city of Catania with Palermo.

The Castle of Resuttano: history

There is not much information on its construction and origin, but it is believed that the castle was built for defensive reasons. It was used for protect the goods and the travelers moving along the road. It also served for defensive reasons, as its positioning at a considerable height allowed the enemy army to be spotted many kilometers away. However, over the centuries its defensive importance has declined. The need to have a fort that would protect travelers on the road from Palermo to Catania disappeared and subsequently the castle was first partially transformed and then became part of a small farm.
Nonetheless, its core has remained intact: it is a tower with two elevations. It was not the tallest of the towers, but was described by contemporaries as a noteworthy building. At most, over the centuries the presence of this nucleus has raised more doubts than certainties, since in medieval chronicles it was described as a "castrum" more than a tower, which has generated various ambiguities leading several scholars to even think that it was not a castle, but a farm.
However, observing this construction located in the center of the castle one can easily understand that it was a sturdy tower. At its center there were two rooms of quite modest dimensions. The one facing north was vaulted and could only be accessed from the ceiling. It is believed that that room was the cistern of the tower. The other room faced south and had two slits, one of which had been transformed into a door. However, unlike what one might think, the tower was not accessed through that door, but through one located on the eastern wall of the tower. It had been placed at first floor level and had a beautiful view thereby complete with a key decorated with it family coat of arms of Francesco Berto Ventimiglia, on which the initial letters of his name could also be found.

One might wonder how the doors entered the tower, if the door was located on the first floor and not on the ground floor. In reality, a staircase was used which no longer exists today, by means of which interested parties could enter the tower. Unfortunately, the famous staircase is not the only element that has disappeared over time, far from it. As the years passed, the castle fell more and more into a profound state of disuse and, therefore, also into ruin.

Going to the castle of Resuttano nowadays you can see very few things dating back to the original construction and between these two windows complete with jambs to which is also added an archivolt made of cut stone.
By going to this place today it will be possible to see only the signs left by the passage of time and, from a certain point of view, it is precisely this that makes the castle so particular. You can feel an authentic medieval atmosphere here, although currently only a few ruins remain.

Due to this particularity, various events and fairs often take place near the castle of Resuttano aimed at recalling the medieval history that has characterized these places for many centuries.