The name Ursino comes from the Latin "Castrum sinus", i.e. "castle of the gulf" - originally it stood high above the sea, but as a result of the lava flow caused by the eruption of Mount Etna in 1669 it is now some hundreds of metres from the coast. Ursino Castle, a stern, massive construction, was built between 1239 and 1250 by the architect Richard of Lentini, by order of Frederick II of Swabia, on a stretch of high land surrounded by the sea. The Emperor loved precise geometric shapes, and this is a good example, with its square plan, its four great circular towers measuring 10 metres in diameter at each corner, and its semicylindrical turrets halfway along each side.

The entrance is through a pointed archway in the main façade, surmounted by the Swabian coat of arms and an eagle grasping a hare in its talons. The interior is in a good state of repair and contains a number of works of considerable artistic interest.

These include first and foremost the supporting structures in the various rooms, decorated with elegant ribbed vaults, fine inlaid capitals, and great pointed arches.

There are a number of very well executed statues, among which one may admire: a Hellenistic-type Aphrodite, a 4th-cent. BC Torso of Heracles, and the Gladiators, a Roman relievo made of lava.

The castle was the residence of the Aragonese royal family in the 14th cent. In the mid-18th cent. it was surrounded by imposing defensive walls and later altered in the southern part in Renaissance style. In 1837 it became a prison.

Today, restored and illuminated by an evocative lighting system, it is the seat of the Civic Museum, and the picture gallery is the venue of art exhibitions.

Details of the Ursino castle (Catania)

(click on the photos to enlarge)