The castle is claimed to have been built by Count Manfred III Chiaramonte of Modica (d.1391) between 1364 and 1367.  However, if that is the case, it doesn't answer the question why it was built in Norman-Gothic style, that style having been obsolete for over a century.  As there are also the ruins of a Greek acropolis some 4 miles to the northeast of the castle at Polizzello it might suggest that the castle site may have been occupied much longer than is generally accepted.  The style of the castle is often compared with the Steri palace in Palermo, built by the Chiaramonte family before 1320. 

Of the castle's history, its most important recorded event was in 1391.  Then Manfredi organised a meeting of Sicilian barons at Mussomeli castle who swore to resist the coming of King Martin I (1392-1409).  However, the meeting came to nothing after Manfred died the same November in Palermo.  The next year King Martin invaded Sicily, beheaded Manfred's son Andrew before the Steri palace and thereby acquired Mussomeli castle.  The fortress then passed through the hands of the Lanza family who in the sixteenth century became counts of Mussomeli.

Possibly the castle is to be equated with the fortress of Platani, which was captured by the Muslims in 839–840, when they also took Caltabellotta, Marineo, Geraci and other places.  It then remained in Arab hands until after the fall of Agrigento on 25 July 1086.  Following this, Count Roger Hauteville (d.1101) annexed 11 places in the region of Agrigento.  Those mentioned included Platani (Platanum), Masseria (Missar), Guastanella (Guastaliella), Sutera, Raselbifar, Mocluse, Naro (Naru), Caltanissetta (Calatenixet), Casteltermini (Castrum foeminarum), Licata and Riesi? (Remunisse).  It is possible that Platanum stood for Acquaviva Platani which lies some 2 miles east of the current Mussomeli castle.  Possibly then the fortress was originally known as Platani.

Description
The castle defences cover the approach to the top of an 2,552' high limestone crag.  Near the base of the rock a polygonal wall blocks the approach road, forming a first line of defence.  Within this, over a drawbridge and through the inturned gate, flanked by 2 worn coats of arms, is a vaulted stable, 121'x21'.  This appears to have been for 50 horses and has been partially re-roofed.  The loops in the outer curtain are narrow, stepped and ogival within.  The curtain wall defending this lower part of the crag is largely rebattlemented.

The entrance path from the west dog legs up to the first gate which faces east.  This has an ogval arch set in fine ashlar which itslef lies in a 2 phase wall.  The lower part up to the arch's summit consists of laid rubble with narrow flakes of stone making the courses more even, while the summit cononsts of pure rubble.  The southernmost corner of the wall consists of a fine ashalr, similar to that around the gate, while the lower wall built could date back to the Byzantine era.  Internally, away from the ashlar, ogival gate, the wall is mostly rubble built and appears to have had a wallwalk and battlements, if these are not modern rebuilds.  The stable wall to the south is much thinner, being only a few feet thick at the summit and in no way capable of holding a wallwalk.  It is probably much younger.  Within the gate are a fine cupboard and traces of the initial arching of the long stables.

It is uncertain how the stables allowed access to the main route up the inner castle, but the road zig-zags up the hill towards the summit where a second line of defence helped make the inner ward.  This time the hole in the wall style faces south and is guarded by a large, rectangular tower.  Once more the gate is set back from the enceinte, somewhat like at Erice.  The crest over the door appears to be 3 eagles for the fifteenth century Del Campo family.  Internrally the wall is again of the early Byzantine style of the lower gate while within it is an ashlar Romanesque gateway protected only by a drawbarred gate.  To the west the ground rises in a revetted rock face.  The rectangular tower covering the gate has been much rebuilt and its first floor converted into a fourteenth century chapel, but note the trace of steps running up the south wall which would once have led to a fighting platform over the main gate.  The doorway to the chapel is elegant fifteenth century work and bears comparison with Favara chapel doorway.

Within the gate there may have been a small courtyard, or alternatively all was giving over to buildings, of which only those to the southeast have been reroofed.  To the east of the entrance gate is a small D shaped garderobe turret whose summit has been sheared off when the battlements above were recently erected.  The curtain here is not wide enough to support a walkway.  These fake battlements grace most of the east and south sides of the enceinte.  The surviving elements of the hall block consist of a wealth of rooms, some displaying Romanesque and some ogival doorways, while the walls themselves are a mix of rubble and Byzantine style laid rubble.  Some fine fourteenth century ribbed ashlar vaulting survives as do some Chiamonte style twin light windows

 Beneath are cellars and cisterns, some built into the rock and one containing a fine early, but much rebuilt, window loop.

On the westernmost summit of the hill, only attached to the north curtain due to the nature of the land between it and the south curtain, is the lowest storey of a powerful rectangular keep about 40' north to south and 30' east to west.  This is built of laid rubble, often intersperced with layers of flakes in the Byzantine style and is undoubtedly the oldest part of the castle.

Copyright©2019 Paul Martin Remfry

• Index
• Home