Patellaro
Patellaro castle stands in an isolated position
on the edge of the plateau between Contessa Entellina and
Bisacquino. In 1154 Idrisi recorded Battalari castle as
an hisn of
antiquity and beauty, while in 1182 it was recorded as being inhabited
by Arabs when it, like Calatamauro
castle, was handed over to King
William's foundation of Monreale cathedral. The castle must
have survived for a long time after this, but nothing is known of
it. Currently the ruins are part of a farm.
Description
The stands on a low, isolated hill 1,800' above sea level and
overlooking the plain to the northeast. The castle forms a large
polygonal enclosure about 200'x150', with the bulk of the buildings on
the most accessible west side. There are more modern farm
buildings built into the remains running roughly centrally north to
south across the site. The main defences lie to the west and
consist of 2 rectangular towers. Entrance was probably gained
to the southwest. There are the remnants of a large projecting
rectangular structure to the southwest. To the northwest, behind the
biggest mural tower, is a hall block and associated buildings with
vaulted basements and Romanesque arches.
The eastern two thirds of the castle consist of an open rocky area
running up the small hill to the northeast which acts as a kind of
motte. Surprisingly there seems to have been no attempt to
fortify this natural knoll, other than pass over it with the curtain
wall. The east curtain is irregular and thin, making the
whole area to the north and east of the main fortress and farm, look
like a large, later outer enclosure. Despite this, the fact
that the south and north curtains look contemporaneous with the rest of
the structure, suggests that the whole was created at the same
time. An isolated rectangular tower on the reverse side of the
hill, to the northeast also appears to be part of the defences.
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