Aci Castello Castle

The seaside village of Aci Castello is just a few kilometers from Catania, it’s famous for its basalt rock where on top stands the turreted and crenellated castle which gives its name to the city.

The composition of the rock where the building stands is extremely rare and there are few other examples in the world. It originated from a sea volcanic basaltic eruption more than 500,000 years ago, the lava is covered with a glassy crust (generated by the high temperatures of magma) and it is divided into prisms inside. This particular form and structure is due to the presence of sand and clay in the original sea bed and to the sudden cooling of the magma, caused by contact with cold sea water.

The castle was built in 1076, in Norman times, with black lava stones.
It was the residence of Ruggero of Lauria and in 1297 it became the residence of Frederick II of Aragon. The castle is inaccessible on three sides and the entrance to the fortress can be able from the West side through a stone bridge, which now replaces the old wooden drawbridge.
In the rooms of the fortress was established a museum where are organized, over the permanent archaeological exhibition, also itinerant and cultural events and exhibitions.

The museum keeps historical artifacts ranging from prehistoric to medieval age and it has an interesting area dedicated to mineralogy, it was carried out a botanical garden where are exposed different varieties of plants among them we suggest you pay particular attention to the succulents ones.