Il castello di Sant’Alessio: una particolare struttura defensiva in Sicilia orientale

Abstract

Sant’Alessio promontory is one of the most important on the ionic Sicilian coast. During the 17th century, the military engineers Camillo Camilliani and Tiburzio Spannocchi, who surveyed and drew the entire Sicilian coast, painted the Sant’Alessio promontory from the sea and highlighted the particular morphology of the place. The coast is characterized by a particular orography: the site is actually composed of two promontories. A majestic quadrangular tower stands above the more external, elevated rock, whilst a circular tower with a castle stands on the rear promontory. In 1640, Francesco Negro and Carlo Maria Ventimiglia drew both the plan and the façade of the castle which stands on the two promontories and described the particularly strategic position of the castle, in their Atlas. The defensive structure was particularly important because it controlled the adjacent coasts and was directly connected with the peak of Forza D’Agrò. The morphology of this area, seen from the highest part of the peak, is represented in some drawings of the marques De Leda in the 18th century. This landscape came as a surprise to the Saint-Non expedition during their trip in Sicily; this particular combination of nature and the castle excited the voyagers who described the place as «infiniment pittoresque».