Castle of Vicars

From Vicar Castle today unfortunately only a few ruins remain but they are sufficient to be able to imagine what was once a glorious fortification to protect all the inhabitants of the valley. Located 700 meters above sea level, today it is one of the most visited monuments of Vicariin province of Palermo, which, however, also holds other surprises. Here, then, is everything you need to know about the castle of Vicari and how to best organize your visit.

History of the castle of Vicari

What everyone knows as the castle of Vicari stands on a hill which has a perfect view not only of the inhabited center but of the whole valley. In a document dated 1154, the Arab geographer Idrisi tells of this imposing fortress which controlled the access road to Palermo and which could communicate via smoke signals with other nearby castles, in particular that of Caccamo and Margana.
Its construction, however, is older and probably dates back to 1077 at the behest of the noble Norman count named Ruggero who was engaged in a bitter battle against the nearby manor of Castronovo and needed a fortified position. The Vicar CastleHowever, he is most famous for hosting John of San Remigius who was later murdered here. In the following years and then until 1338 the castle was in the hands of the Chiaramonte family of feudal lords, then it passed from hand to hand until the definitive abolition of feudalism in 1812.

The architecture and any works of art present in the castle of Vicari

As already pointed out, the castle is located on a hill known by the name of Sant'Angelo lace and today only a few ruins remain. Once, however, the fortification was surrounded by walls which, however, were found only on the north-west side because the remaining part was naturally defended by its geographical location, overlooking the valley. The castle was divided into several floors. In the intermediate ones there were the lodgings of the nobles who lived inside it, in the lower part there were the military and war equipment, finally at the top of the castle there was a main tower. Others are still visible today three towers which were part of the fortification and which were used for various purposes, including a sort of mill. Furthermore, recent restoration works have allowed the recovery of a beautiful entrance door. Finally, it was also part of the castle Church of Santa Maria del Boikòs, the first in Italy dedicated to the Marian cult.

What you can do around the castle of Vicari

If the castle is certainly the most important architectural element of Vicari, there are also other monuments in the village that certainly deserve a visit. In particular, the building which is known by the name of The Cuba it is an ancient cistern from the Arab period which closely demonstrates the ingenuity of the architects of this civilization.
Other monuments that are worth a visit are the mother church, built around 1200, enriched internally by various paintings that are part of the Gaginiana school, but also the church of San Marco, which instead dates back to 1500 and is recognizable because its bell tower is completely covered with majolica. They are also there from the sixteenth century church of San Vito and that of the Our Lady of Grace.

How is it possible to get to Vicari

Those who move by car from Palermo and want to reach the Castello di Vicari they can do so by taking the SS121 while from Trapani it will be sufficient to take the E90. Those who instead move from Catania will be able to choose the A19 to their destination, instead from Messina it is necessary to take the A20 first and then continue on the E90. From Syracuse it is necessary to take the A19 first and then the E932, finally from Enna you can choose to take the SS640 or alternatively the SS19.

Vicari does not have its own railway station for those who wish to travel on the train will be able to reach the stations of Vespri, Montemaggiore - Belsito or Roccapalumba - Alia and from there continue to Vicari with the bus numbers made available by the AST.

© Image by Lahiri Hat, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons