Sicily is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy. With 4.8 million inhabitants, including 1.3 million in and around the capital city of Palermo, it is the most populous island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is named after the Sicels, who inhabited the eastern part of the island during the Iron Age. Sicily has a rich and unique culture in arts, music, literature, cuisine, and architecture. Its most prominent landmark is Mount Etna, the tallest active volcano in Europe, and one of the most active in the world, currently 3,357 m (11,014 ft) high. The island has a typical Mediterranean climate. It is separated from Calabria by the Strait of Messina. It is one of the five Italian autonomous regions and is generally considered part of Southern Italy.
Palermo is a city in southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old. Palermo is in the northwest of the island of Sicily, by the Gulf of Palermo in the Tyrrhenian Sea.
The term Norman architecture is used to categorise styles of Romanesque architecture developed by the Normans in the various lands under their dominion or influence in the 11th and 12th centuries. In particular the term is traditionally used for English Romanesque architecture. The Normans introduced large numbers of castles and fortifications including Norman keeps, and at the same time monasteries, abbeys, churches and cathedrals, in a style characterised by the usual Romanesque rounded arches and especially massive proportions compared to other regional variations of the style.
Caccamo is a town and comune located on the Tyrrhenian coast of Sicily in the Metropolitan City of Palermo.
The province of Enna is a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily, Italy.
Castello Ursino, also known as Castello Svevo di Catania, is a castle in Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. It was built in the 13th century as a royal castle of the Kingdom of Sicily, and is mostly known for its role in the Sicilian Vespers, when it became the seat of the Sicilian Parliament. The castle is in good condition today, and it is open to the public as a museum.
The Zisa is a grand 12th-century Norman hunting lodge and summer palace in the western area of Palermo, in the region of Sicily, Italy. The edifice was started around 1165 by Arab craftsmen under the rule of the Norman conqueror of Sicily, king William I. It was not finished until 1189, under the rule of William II. It is presently open to the public for tours.
Carini is a city and comune in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, Sicily, 19 kilometres (12 mi) by rail west-northwest of Palermo. It has a population of 37,752.
Aci Castello is a comune in the Metropolitan City of Catania in Sicily, Italy. Located 9 kilometres (6 mi) north of Catania on the Mediterranean coast, the city's primary economic sectors are agriculture and industry. The city is surrounded by Aci Catena, Acireale, Catania, San Gregorio di Catania and Valverde.
Nicosia is a comune (municipality) in the province of Enna, in the Italian region of Sicily. It is located at 720 metres above sea level, on a rocky massive culminating in four imposing hills. The origin of Nicosia is uncertain. Nicosia and Troina are the northernmost towns in the province of Enna. The vicinity was traditionally made up of salt mines and arable lands.
Lamezia Terme, commonly called Lamezia, is an Italian city and comune of 70,452 inhabitants (2013), in the province of Catanzaro in the Calabria region.
Malcesine is a comune (municipality) on the eastern shore of Lake Garda in the Province of Verona in the Italian region Veneto, located about 120 kilometres northwest of Venice and about 40 kilometres northwest of Verona. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia.
Maniace is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Catania in the Italian region Sicily, located about 130 kilometres (81 mi) east of Palermo and about 45 kilometres (28 mi) northwest of Catania.
The Castello di Milazzo is a castle and citadel in Milazzo, Sicily. It is located on the summit of a hill overlooking the town, on a site first fortified in the Neolithic era. The Greeks modified it into an acropolis, and it was later enlarged into a castrum by the Romans and Byzantines. The Normans built a castle, which was further modified and enlarged during the Medieval and Early Modern periods. It is now in good condition, and open to the public.
Castello Barbarossa is an archaeological ruin and ornithological station in Anacapri, on the island of Capri, Italy. It is named after the former corsair and Ottoman Kapudan Pasha (Admiral) Hayreddin Barbarossa, who stormed it in 1535 and destroyed it in 1544. The construction date is uncertain but it perhaps dates back to the late ninth century. From 1898, the structure, now in ruins, was owned by the Swedish psychiatrist Axel Munthe who donated it to his foundation. The surroundings, interesting for their botanical features, are home to the island's ornithological station.
The Castello di Terra is a castle in Trapani, Sicily. It was originally built in the late 12th century, and was modified over the years until the 19th century. The castle is now in ruins.
The Castello della Pietra d'Amico was a 14th-century castle in Alessandria della Rocca, Sicily, southern Italy. Today, very little remains of the structure, since part of the rock on which it was built collapsed.
The Adragna family is an Italian noble house. The family ruled the territory of Altavilla in Sicily, Italy.
The Castello Normanno-Svevo is a Normans' castle located in the historic center of Gioia del Colle. Since December 2014, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities has managed the entire castle through the Polo Museale della Puglia, which, in December 2019, became the Direzione Regionale Musei.
