Tradition has it that this castle was founded by Count Roger, father of Roger II, who in 1070 freed Adrano from Arab domination. Evidence of an original Arab construction can be seen in the two doors on the ground main floor that connect the two great halls, with their pointed arches made of blocks of pumice stone. The castle was probably built as a fortified outpost for the conquest of the plain and the city of Catania and then directly linked with the two castles of Paternò and Motta. The castle is about 34 metres high, from base to battlements. Quadrilateral in shape, with a massive structure and lava-stone corner buttresses, each side is 20 metres wide, while at the base each side of the bastion is 33.7 metres wide.

At the sides of the stairway at the entrance, two stone lions support the coats of arms of the Moncada and the Sclafani families. The pointed arches are in pure Islamic style, but the general character, the structural design, and the architectural technique, including the tower, are pure Norman.

An earthquake in 1600 brought down all the wooden ceilings and since then the castle has been uninhabited and open to the winds, with the result that the passing of time has led to a deterioration in the general state of the rooms and to the disappearance of the plaster and stucco work.

On the first floor, by some miracle, there is still an intact chapel with chapters supporting the cross vault, while in an adjoining room there is an ancient baptismal font.

The castle was variously altered over the centuries: it was the residence of noble Aragonese families and a prison. In 1958, after its purchase by the local municipal authority, the Museum was founded and the castle, now restored, is once again the town's main attraction.

Details of the Adrano castle

(click on the photos to enlarge)