Castellammare del Golfo (; scn, Casteddammari; la, Emporium Segestanorum or ) is a town and municipality in the Trapani Province of Sicily. The name can be translated as "Sea Fortress on the Gulf", stemming from the medieval fortress in the harbor. The nearby body of water conversely takes its name from the town, and is known as Gulf of Castellammare. Heading upwards from its marina/harbour called "Cala Marina", with many restaurants and bars, the urban plan is made of steps and winding streets that lead to Piazza Petrolo in one direction or towards the main central gardens, where the town center lies with many shops, cafes and restaurants. The main street is called Corso Garibaldi. Castellammare del Golfo has been described as probably having the most beautiful peninsula in all of Sicily.

History

According to the opinion of historians and geographers such as Ptolemy,

Diodorus Siculus Diodorus Siculus, or Diodorus of Sicily ( grc-gre, Διόδωρος ; 1st century BC), was an ancient Greek historian. He is known for writing the monumental universal history ''Bibliotheca historica'', in forty books, fifteen of which su ...

and

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...

, Castellammare del Golfo was born as Emporium Segestanorum, port of Segesta, a nearby city which shared the same ordeals until its fall. The Arabs Invaded Castellammare del Golfo from 827 AD, and called it "Al Madarig", which means "The Steps", probably due to an uphill steep street leading from the harbour to the area of the fortified bastion. It was the Arabs who first built the castle fortress, later enlarged by the Normans. The building rose on a rocky outcrop near the sea, linked to the mainland by a wooden drawbridge.Castellamare history
/ref> Fishing has been important in Castellammare del Golfo since ancient times. Today the town's economy continues to be based on fishing with the addition of tourism. The small town is also noted for having been the birthplace of many Sicilian-American Mafia figures, including Sebastiano DiGaetano, Salvatore Maranzano,

Stefano Magaddino Stefano "The Undertaker" Magaddino (; October 10, 1891 – July 19, 1974) was an Italian-born crime boss of the Buffalo crime family in western New York. His underworld influence stretched from Ohio to Southern Ontario and as far east as Montreal ...

, Vito Bonventre, John Tartamella, and Joseph Bonanno. This is the origin of the

Castellamarese war The Castellammarese War () was a bloody power struggle for control of the Italian-American Mafia that took place in New York City, New York, from February 1930 until April 15, 1931, between partisans of Joe "The Boss" Masseria and those of Salv ...

, fought by the Masseria clan against the Maranzano clan for control of the Underworld in New York City. During the height of Italian immigration to the United States, many residents from Castellammare del Golfo immigrated to New York City, and settled on Elizabeth Street in Little Italy, Italian Harlem, and

Bushwick Bushwick is a neighborhood in the northern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded by the neighborhood of Ridgewood, Queens, to the northeast; Williamsburg to the northwest; East New York and the cemeteries of Highland Par ...

, Carroll Gardens and East New York neighborhoods of Brooklyn, New York. After World War II, many residents from Castellammare del Golfo continued to immigrate to New York City, this time, settling in the Bensonhurst and

Gravesend Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Ro ...

neighborhoods of Brooklyn, New York as well as the

Ridgewood Ridgewood may refer to: Geography Australia *Ridgewood, Western Australia Canada * Ridgewood, Ontario *Ridgewood, Edmonton, Alberta United Kingdom *Ridgewood, East Sussex United States *Ridgewood Heights, California * Ridgewood, Illinois *Ridge ...

and Middle Village neighborhoods of Queens, New York, the Morris Park section of the

Bronx, New York The Bronx () is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state, state of New York (state), New York. It is south of Westchester County, New York, Westchester County; north and east of the ...

and all throughout the borough of

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

. In the past decades Castellammare del Golfo has become an important tourist location as it is conveniently situated between

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

and Trapani.

Nearby places

Nearby places include Segesta, with its Doric temple and an amphitheater where performances are still held. * Trapani about 35 km to the west; *

about 30 km to the east; * Scopello with its ''tonnara'' (traditional tuna fishing ground) to the west; * San Vito Lo Capo to the west; *

Riserva naturale dello Zingaro Riserva naturale dello zingaro was the first natural reserve set up in Sicily in May 1981, located almost completely in the municipal territory of San Vito Lo Capo. It stretches along some seven kilometers of unspoilt coastline of the Gulf of Ca ...

also to the west, with its bay beaches only accessible on foot or boat; * Erice, a historic village, located above sea level. From Castellammare del Golfo you can take a boat trip departing from Cala Marina to the Egadi Islands situated in front of Trapani. To the east, the gulf of Castellammare has a stretch of of white sandy beaches.

Films

Castellammare del Golfo has also been a location for various films, including: * '' For the Love of Mariastella'' (1946) * '' Ocean's Twelve'' * '' Avenging Angelo'' * '' My name is Tanino'' * ''Cefalonia'' (TV series) * '' Inspector Montalbano'', episode "The Sense of Touch" * '' Largo Winch'' * '' Leaves of the Tree''

People

* Joseph Bonanno, crime boss, historical leader of the Bonanno crime family * Vito Bonventre, New York City mobster *

, crime boss of the Buffalo crime family * Salvatore Maranzano, mobster, founder of the Bonanno crime family

References

External links