Initially created as a simple fortress to defend itself from enemy assaults, it was over time reinforced and gradually transformed also into a wealthy mansion that housed several noble Sicilian families.
The first historical records of this castle date back to 1160. Historical events intertwined with legend. Matteo Bonello, one of the first owners of the castle, was a bitter enemy of King William I called the Malo (a name that was not given to him by chance!). After murdering the king’s advisor, Bonello took refuge in his estate until, tricked by the king himself, he was captured, tortured (his eyes were gouged out and the tendons of his heels severed) and left to die in one of the towers. Since then the ghost of Matteo Bonello, according to the accounts of many who say they have spotted him, has been restlessly roaming the castle in search of eternal peace!
With the advent of the noble Palermo family of Chiaramonte, the castle was extensively fortified and strengthened, to the point that for almost 1 century, from 1302 to 1392, it managed to resist the attacks of the royal power of the Aragonese.
The 15th century was the city’s period of greatest splendor to the point that John Alfonso Henriquez, viceroy of Sicily, gave Caccamo the coat of arms once said to have had Carthage (a horse’s head), with the three legs of Sicily added.
But after its heyday a long, slow decline began. First the Amatos and then the De Spuches tried to restore the castle, defacing some areas, while many of the precious furnishings were taken away. The 1923 earthquake caused a series of collapses that demolished several areas.
Since 1965 the castle has been owned by the Region of Sicily.
