Castelbuono Castle

Castelbuono Castle, locally known as Castello di Castelbuono or Castello dei Ventimiglia, lies in the town of the same name, in the Palermo province on the island of Sicily in Italy.

Castelbuono Castle was built in 1316 by Count Francesco I of Ventimiglia. It was built on the site of an earlier square fortification, on the San Pietro hill and the ruins of the ancient Byzantine town of Ypsigro.

Between 1454 and 1456 the castle was enlarged by Giovanni di Ventimiglia. He also restored the chapel in the castle to make it suitable to house a relic of the patron of Castelbuono; the Skull of St. Anne.

In 1683 the Ventimiglia family transferred the chapel to its present location and had it richly decorated in Baroque style by the Serpotta brothers.

Between the 17th and 18th centuries Castelbuono Castle underwent many changes and also suffered considerable damage following a number of earthquakes in 1693 and 1820.

In 1920 Castelbuono Castle was bought by the town and restored.

The castle never served a real strategic purpose but was a typical aristocratic town palace. It shows architectural building elements from different eras; Arab, Norman and Swabian.

At present it houses a museum. It can be visited for a small fee.

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