The Castello di Lombardia ("
Lombardy
Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...
Castle") is a
castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
in
Enna
Enna ( or ; grc, Ἔννα; la, Henna, less frequently ), known from the Middle Ages until 1926 as Castrogiovanni ( scn, Castrugiuvanni ), is a city and located roughly at the center of Sicily, southern Italy, in the province of Enna, towering ...
,
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
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. It is one of the largest and most ancient edifices in Italy, with an area of some
History
The castle's origins are related to a fortress erected in the 1st millennium BC by the
Sicani
The Sicani (Ancient Greek Σῐκᾱνοί ''Sikānoí'') or Sicanians were one of three ancient peoples of Sicily present at the time of Phoenician and Greek colonization. The Sicani dwelt east of the Elymians and west of the Sicels, having, ac ...
on the foundation of the ancient ''Henna'', on a hill 970 m above sea level. It remained a key possession in the subsequent history of the island, and the
Romans
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
were able to conquer it only by passing through its
sewer network.
Under the castle was the ancient Sican temple of
Ceres
Ceres most commonly refers to:
* Ceres (dwarf planet), the largest asteroid
* Ceres (mythology), the Roman goddess of agriculture
Ceres may also refer to:
Places
Brazil
* Ceres, Goiás, Brazil
* Ceres Microregion, in north-central Goiás ...
, site of the widespread cult of that goddess in the whole of Italy, which was described by
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the estab ...
.
After the fall of the
Western Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire comprised the western provinces of the Roman Empire at any time during which they were administered by a separate independent Imperial court; in particular, this term is used in historiography to describe the period fr ...
, it was used by the
Byzantines and resisted
Arab assaults for many years. After their victory, the latter rebuilt the fortress around the 10th century; the castle was also used by their successors in Sicily, the
Normans
The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Fran ...
. Two centuries later, architect
Richard of Lentini
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong ...
was commissioned by
Frederick II, Emperor and King of Sicily, to restore it as a summer residence. He added 20 towers and called in a garrison coming from the ''Langobardia minor'' (
Calabria
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), whence the castle's name.
With the advent of the artillery, the castle lost its primary strategic role and was turned into a prison. In the 20th and early 21st century, the castle was the site of the ''Teatro più vicino alle Stelle'' ("The Nearest Theatre to the Stars"), used for opera and pop music concerts. The castle is now open to the public.
See also
*
List of castles in Italy
This is a list of castles in Italy by location.
Abruzzo
;Province of L'Aquila
*Castello normanno, Anversa degli Abruzzi
* Castello Orsini-Colonna, Avezzano
* Castello Piccolomini, Balsorano
*Castle of Barisciano, Barisciano
* Castello di Bar ...
Buildings and structures completed in the 11th century
Houses completed in the 13th century
Lombardia
(man), (woman) lmo, lumbard, links=no (man), (woman)
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Lombardia
(man), (woman) lmo, lumbard, links=no (man), (woman)
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Enna
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