Castle of Valguarnera in Assoro

Assoro is a small community that knows how to offer its visitors many buildings of architectural and artistic importance such as the very famous Valguarnera Castle.

Architecture and works of art present in the Valguarnera Castle of Assoro

In the territory of Assoro, in the province of Enna, there are several locations of tourist interest due to their history and the artistic and architectural beauty they have. Among these, the Valguarnera Castle stands out, which today can only be partially appreciated because it was abandoned over the centuries after it was conquered by the Arabs in the year 939.

The castle had an irregular polygonal plan and followed the geographical layout of the territory in which it is located. In fact, the structure is located on a hill that overlooks the entire area to guarantee maximum defense against the arrival of enemies. Mighty stone walls with a huge circular tower were built around the castle. The walls and the tower were characterized by classic stone corbels due to the influence that the Spanish domination had on the structure, in particular of the Valguarnera family originally from present-day Catalonia. The castle had been built previously but this family decided to use it to make it a sort of home through an important restoration work. A second wall was built which created a sort of secret passage which was accessed via a spiral staircase and which connected various rooms. An impressive work because it must be highlighted how the passages are created in the bare rock.

The History of Assoro Castle

The history of the Valguarnera castle in Assoro is quite fragmentary also because there are no unequivocal documents that tell what happened. What is certain is known that it was originally a fortress built by the Byzantines and that in the year 939 the Arabs managed to conquer it. There was a new change later when the Normans arrived in Sicily and managed to conquer the fortress for the second time, driving the Arabs out of the territory. The domination and ownership of these lands then passed to the bishop of Catania at the behest of Roger II who wanted to sell the structure for various reasons.

In previous centuries there were many other changes of ownership, in particular from the bishop of Catania it passed to the Umberti family from whom however it was confiscated in 1340 and then entrusted to the Duke of Randazzo who exploited his influence towards the Catalans. It is also certainly known that in the year 1364 Frederick IV decided to give the castle and all the land to Matteo of Aragon who, however, within a very short time had no heirs so that in 1866 the castle came into the hands of Antonio Moncada who he held the property until 1397. After his death, the Valguarnera family arrived in Sicily and took care of it by carrying out the installation work and managing the structure which was then completely abandoned once it changed hands.

What to do in Assoro and the surrounding areas

Assoro is a town that has more to offer than the splendid castle of Valguarnera such as, for example, the Palace of the Princes of Valguarnera Also known as Palace of the Signoria whose construction took place during the XNUMXth century. A structure that follows the style of the time, markedly Catalan, connected with a beautiful arch to the suggestive Basilica of San Leone. It is a church built in 1186 but revised several times, renovated due to cataclysms including the terrible earthquake of 1693, and enlarged to take on its current shape with 5 naves and 3 apses. There are also other religious buildings of tourist interest such as the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine dating back to the XNUMXth century, the Bell tower of San Biagio, Monastery of the Poor Clares and the thirteenth century Church of the Holy Spirit.

How to get to Assoro

By car:, to reach Assoro coming from Enna it is necessary to cover a route of 24 km in about 35 minutes. Enter the SS121 and leave it after 17 km at the appropriate exit.
Coming from Messina, the total route is 175 km for a 2-hour journey, taking first the A20/E90 and then, after 2,5 km, the A18 towards SP62 for 162 km and finally the SP7.
For those arriving from Palermo, the kilometers to travel are 150 but the time is longer, i.e. 2 hours and 30 minutes, because they are slower roads. Take the E90, then A19/E932, exiting at Cinque Archi and finally proceed along the SS121.

© Image by Vito Calabretta, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons