Giuliana
The history of Giuliana castle is mostly obscure. Some suggest that the keep was built by Frederick II (d.1250) purely on stylistic grounds, while other suggest that the fact that Frederick III (d.1337)
spent some time here in 1332 indicates that he built it.
Neither suggestion is impossible, but the latter seems more
probable. Certainly the increase in the size of the hamlet from
200 people in 1277 to nearly 2,000 by 1376 suggests the place suffered
few ill effects in the fourteenth century. The exterior walls of
the castle, set in a semicircle
around the inner fortress, were converted into a monastery soon after
1648.
Description
The castle lies some 2,400' above sea level and forms an unusual and
irregular horseshoe shaped site about 250' in diameter. The outer
defences consist of a polygonal ward in a semi-circular shape
protecting the inner defences. There is no real flanking, with
undefended corners abounding, but there is a rectangular tower to the
north and a sloping buttress to the northwest. A door west of the
buttress overlies an older portal. The masonry consists of well
laid ruble without Roman tiles and, as the stones are reasonably well
cut, no corner quoins. Buildings line the enceinte which are
still in use. The outer ward was obviously built at a different
time to the inner defences.
Within the outer defences is the unusual inner ward which is not
connected to the outer enceinte. The core is made up of 2
rectangular buildings at a slight angle overhanging the cliff face to
the south. Centrally to the north is a projecting 3 storey
pentagonal tower 62' high with sides 24' long and walls 7' thick.
This is one of only 3 in Sicily, the others being Erice outer ward (Torri de Ballo) and that thought to lie at the
mostly destroyed Swabian castle of Augusta. Sadly the top of the
Giuliana tower was removed in the early 1900s and the entire fortress
has been heavily restored. The keep masonry is of a lower quality
than the outer ward, being roughly shaped blocks, levelled by slabs of
stone inserted in any spaces to make a reasonably laid rubble
wall. The quoins are made of sandstone, but the apertures are of
tufa which gives the keep an ornamental look. The entrance gate
to the inner complex is covered from the keep by a crossbow loop which
has a small gun port inserted into its base. The forward faces
have only a singular loop to the northeast at internal ground floor level,
while the east face has a shoulder headed window to the east. The
first floor has a similar window. Such windows, although these
appear to be insertions, are generally thought of as dating from 1250
to 1350, while the polyongal towers are also similar to some late
thirteenth century works in Wales, viz, Caernarfon, Denbigh and Kidwelly chapel.
The two buildings on either side of the keep obviously predate it,
having several Romanesque apertures within them. The main gate
has a drawbar slot, but it's jambs have been replaced in modern
times, and the external voussoirs have apparently been replaced with
red tufa slabs. Within the gateway is a small, open to the air
chamber with steps up to the roof to the west, the vaulted great tower lying to
the northeast. Through the gate chamber is a level platform with
cisterns underneath and grand views of the valley to the south.
The vaulted chambers on either side of the keep have rib vaults and a
mixture of pointed and Romanesque arches, probably suggesting that the
range is the earliest structure and the tower was added to it probably
a hundred and more years later. The block is barely defensible
without the outer ward. Possibly the castle started as a
fortified hall block which was expanded with the tower and then the
outer curtain at a later date. This district was under attack by
the Angevins in the early fourteenth century before the 1302 treaty of Caltabellotta.
The polygonal tower certainly appears more fourteenth century
than thirteenth, although the south access to the hall block roof has a
Romanesque doorway, that appears to be a replacement, next to a
shoulder headed window. That said, the internal doorway (lowered
with a pointed doorway within) and associated embrasure in the south
wall of the keep at ground floor are both Romanesque.
Why not join me at other Sicilian
castles? Information on this and other tours can be found at Scholarly
Sojourns.
Copyright©2019
Paul Martin Remfry