At Portopalo, by the sea, one can still see traces of the old tuna fishery, with its yard, its loggia, the factory with its furnace, the warehouses, the house of the owners (the Bruno di Belmonte family), and this aristocratic family's chapel, built in the 17th cent. However, the most impressive and historically most important building is Swabian/Aragonese construction that rises on the high point of the island. This was reinforced and embellished over the centuries, particularly in the age of Charles V. Its function was to defend the area from the frequent pirate raids. The fort - one of the most important in eastern Sicily - stands square on a level plain of land 20 metres above the sea. The solid curtain of walls presents very few windows. The entrance, to the east, is reached by way of a long L-shaped double-flight of stairs. The doorway is surmounted by a limestone coat of arms bearing an image of the imperial eagle. The inner courtyard is surrounded by square rooms with barrel vaults. The upper floor was used as quarters for the officers of the garrison. A room on the ground floor became a parish church dedicated to Our Lady of the Annunciation, where there are believed to be the graves of some persons who died in the 17th cent., as testified by a number of tombstones.

Details of the Spanish Fort (Portopalo di Capo Passero)

(click on the photos to enlarge)