Castroreale

The history of the first urban settlements in the area near present-day Castroreale is lost in the long corridors of history and legend. It is said that a king from the Middle East decided to found a city he named Artemisia, after his daughter. Artemisia's husband later founded a new urban center: Krastos.

Ancient myths aside, the town's founding date is historically considered to be 1324: the year in which Frederick III of Aragon decided to reward the people for their loyalty by building a new castle, which, according to some historical sources, was located near the ruins of Artemisia. Over the centuries, the town developed around the castle. The new center took the name of Castro, then Castroreale, and soon became one of the most important defense hubs of the Milazzo plain and the Ionian coast.

Castroreale never fell under the feudal system but was always under royal control, thus enjoying great privileges and economic development that benefited above all the Jewish community, present in the village until the 15th century.

Castroreale's growth was initially halted by the 1693 earthquake, which caused the demolition of many buildings, later rebuilt in a Baroque style. Nearly a century later, in 1783, another earthquake devastated the town, and the population decided to abandon the hilltop center and move to the coast.

Today Castroreale is a small, lively village, full of beautiful monuments to visit.

Bafia

During the first period of Spanish rule in southern Italy, the Aragonese chose Sicily as a launching point for their conquest of Italian territories. This context includes the founding of Bafia in the 15th century, built by a group of migrant shepherds who stopped near a dyeworks of Greek origin. The toponym Bafia also harks back to this event; in fact, bafeus in Greek means dyeworks.

Today, Bafia is a hamlet of the village of Castroreale. The town rests on two hills that take the unique shape of two crossed horseshoes.

Prothonotary

The history of Protonotaro is shrouded in uncertainty: some reports report the presence of a Protonotaro hamlet in the Demone Valley as early as the 11th century.

Protonotary, however, also certainly has a connection with a square tower, probably built before the sixteenth century and still visible today on a rocky promontory.

Today Protonotaro is a hamlet of the village of Castroreale and is located just over 7 km from the main centre.

Cathedral of Castroreale

The Castroreale Cathedral is dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta and was built in the first half of the 17th century. The exterior is immediately striking for its majestic marble portal and bell tower, which rises to the right of the main building. The former is characterized by a marked Mannerism with Baroque-style decorations, while the latter is a square-based tower with an exposed clock.

On the facade, next to the portal, there are two columns on which sit the statues of two angels looking towards the Assumption, placed higher up in a niche.

The Castroreale Cathedral is one of the most beautiful churches in the province of Messina and houses a vast collection of sacred art. The interior has a basilica plan with sixteen columns dividing the space into three naves. Priceless works of art are found throughout, including the marble statues by Antonello Gagioni, Andrea Calamech, and Rinaldo Bonanno, as well as the inlaid wood choir stalls, the organ façade, and the walnut choir.

A small curiosity concerns the sundial located on the floor of the church, it was created in 1854 by Professor Nicola Perroni Basquez and is one of the seven sundials built in Sicily between 1801 and 1896, currently the only one still functioning.

Church of Candlemas

The Church of Candelora overlooks the ancient Via di Artemisia. It is thought that this place of worship was originally the chapel of the castle of Frederick III of Aragon and still retains the typical features of sixteenth-century sacred buildings.

The church has a single nave and four altars, at the top there is a dome that surmounts the apse and ends with a blind lantern.

The Church of Candelora was rich in highly prestigious works, such as altarpieces and papier-mâché works, as well as a mosaic floor created in the 17th century. Unfortunately, an earthquake in 1908 devastated the structure and severely damaged its artistic heritage; only a century later, in 2003, a restoration allowed it to reopen for worship.

Today, the most important work in this church is the wooden Tribune, attributed to Giovanni Siracusano. The Tribune was created in the 18th century using the inlay technique and is entirely covered in pure gold. Among the various decorations on the tribune, you can admire six columns with panels depicting the cult of the Virgin and the history of blessed candles.

The squares of Castroreale

The squares of Castroreale are the nerve centers of this Messina town, overlooked by the city's main monuments: exceptional narrators of Castroreale's history.

There are three main squares: Piazza della Aquile, where the Mother Church stands; Piazza della Mosquita, where the synagogue and Jewish quarter once stood; and Piazza del Peculio, now Piazza Pertini.

Piazza del Peculio took its name from the grain warehouse, a building constructed in 1668 and used as a warehouse for grain and agricultural products. It also served as a price control center, maintaining a balanced price system that allowed people to purchase goods even during times of famine, when food prices rose exponentially.

In 1924, an Art Nouveau building was built on the site of this building, which currently houses the municipal offices.

Another important institution from the past overlooking this square is the Monte della Pietà, founded by the Confraternity of San Leone with the aim of protecting the poor from profiteers and loan sharks. The Monte della Pietà granted loans in exchange for pledges. Connected to this building is the fountain located a little further on, built in 1873, with a Latin inscription that reads: "The ancients placed the Monte della Pietà and the Fountain in this place: one quenches hunger, the other thirst."

In Piazza della Mosquita, among the remains of the Giudecca and the Jewish synagogue, you can also see the tower of Frederick II of Aragon, the last piece of the ancient 14th-century castle to have survived to the present day.

The Giudecca

The historical presence of a Jewish community in a village always arouses great curiosity and a thirst for knowledge.

In Castroreale, history tells of a thriving and vibrant Jewish neighborhood that benefited from the privileges of a royal town, ensuring a dignified economic growth.

The history of the Giudecca of Castroreale came to an end in the 15th century, when its inhabitants were expelled from the Sicilian village.

Today, the Jewish presence in the village is revealed in the names of the streets and the square where the synagogue once stood, perhaps in the town's surnames, and little else. Many of the buildings that once made up the Jewish quarter have since changed use: for example, the Monte della Pietà, which became a Christian-inspired pawnshop.

Today, only an arch remains standing of the synagogue, but we still retain the enduring fascination of one of the most ancient religions and peoples on the planet, forced by history to continually wander.

U Gentlemen Longu – The Long Christ

The citizens of Castroreale are particularly devoted to the festival of U Signori Longu .

As often happens, the story of the Long Christ is linked to an ancient miracle, which has come down to us through the voice of the people and is certainly embellished by fervent religious sentiment and the colors of myths and legends.

It is said that in 1854, a terrible plague struck Messina, killing more than three thousand people. Many of those who remained uninfected chose to take refuge in the countryside or nearby villages. Among them was Giuseppina Vadalà, wife of Orazio Nicosia, a man from Messina who lived in Castroreale for work. She arrived in the village already showing clear signs of the disease, throwing the entire community into despair. To prevent the epidemic from spreading to Castroreale, the people turned to prayer and the intercession of the Cristo Lungo (Long Christ). On August 23, 1854, a procession passed through the streets of the town, carrying the statue of Christ to the Nicosia family's balcony. Orazio left his dying wife's bedside to kneel before the statue of Christ and implored a miracle. When he returned home, he found his wife sitting up in bed and no longer suffering from the disease. That year the plague claimed no victims in Castoreale and since then, as a sign of eternal gratitude, the procession has been repeated on August 25th every year, bringing an ever-increasing number of faithful and curious onlookers to the Messina village.

U Signori longu festival lasts three days, opening on August 23rd with the procession carrying the statue of the Crucifix from the Church of Sant'Agata to the mother church, where it remains until August 25th, when it is brought back. The procession is the most important event of this festival because the statue of Christ and his cross are life-size. Both are hoisted onto a pole and reach a height of 14 meters, towering taller than all the houses and buildings in the historic center, except the mother church.

U Signori Longu is carried in procession through the town streets, balanced on a series of poles, and with each ascent and descent, one holds one's breath. For this reason, the procession moves slowly, and for the same reason, it is one of the most evocative and beautiful rites in southern Italy.

Carmelo Aliberti

Carmelo Aliberti is an Italian poet and literary critic, born in Bafia, a hamlet of Castroreale, in 1943.

He was a literature teacher at the high schools of Castroreale and a literature scholar at the University of Messina.

He has published numerous poetry collections, a short poem, several essays of literary criticism and also founded the magazine Cultura 'Novecento.

For his literary and cultural activities, in 1990 the President of the Republic awarded him the honor of "Benemerito della scuola, della cultura e dell'arte" (Benemeritorious to school, culture and art), and in 2008 he received the national "Giorgio La Pira" prize for criticism.

Pina Menichelli

Giuseppa Iolanda Menichelli has graced Italian stages since 1907 under the stage name Pina Menichelli. She was born in 1890 in Castroreale, to a family with a long tradition of actors.

His career began in the theatre, in 1907, but from 1913 he began to act in numerous films.

Her character and sensual appearance led her to represent the diva of Italian silent cinema par excellence, quickly becoming a huge star.

After playing in 'The Second Wife' (1922) and 'The Woman, the Man and the Blonde' (1923) she abandoned the stage to devote herself to her husband and children.

Despite her dazzling splendor and success as an actress, the public gradually forgot her. She died in Milan in 1984 at the age of ninety-three.

Traditional sweets: black rice and abbess' biscuits

In Castroreale, traditions have a sweet flavor and ancient origins. Two main dishes distinguish this village in Messina, both sweet: black rice and abbess' biscuits.

Black Rice.

Ingredients

– 1 kg of rice:

– 400 g of almonds;

– 1 kg of sugar;

– 200 g of dark chocolate in pieces;

– Cinnamon powder to taste;

– Candied fruit, quince jam, and silver confetti to taste.

Preparation:

Boil the almonds in an earthenware pan until they are almost black, then chop them until you obtain a creamy, smooth mixture, similar to jam.

Boil the rice until al dente, then add 1 kg of sugar, the jam with a little rice broth, dark chocolate chips, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Cook for ten minutes. Once cooked, the rice can be arranged on a flat plate and dusted with cinnamon again. Garnish with candied fruit, shredded quince paste, and silver sprinkles, if desired.

This dessert is typical of Christmas, the scent of toasted almonds cheers the hearts of the castrensi and announces to everyone the approach of one of the most beautiful times of the year.

Badessa biscuits, also known as castrensi biscuits, are produced only in this Sicilian village, and the recipe is still jealously guarded by the town's bakers and pastry chefs.

These biscuits were created by the Poor Clares: cloistered nuns who lived in the convent of Santa Maria degli Angeli until 1866.

Little is known about the ingredients, but we know they're dairy- and egg-free. There are two variations: the first is soft and warm, filled with jam or chocolate; the second is drier, perfect for dunking in hot milk or lemon granita.

In Castroreale, these biscuits are sold in traditional shops, but every year in August the traditional 'Sagra del biscotto castriciano' is held, an unmissable event for lovers of this local delicacy.