Exploring Castelbuono

Castelbuono is an Italian town of 8 348 inhabitants in the metropolitan city of Palermo in Sicily. The town rises about 423 m above sea level. Lm, on the slopes of the Milocca hill and immersed in the luxuriant Madonie Park. The architectural heritage of Castelbuono is very interesting; the Ventimiglia Castle was commissioned in 1317 by Count Francesco I Ventimiglia. The current building is the result of numerous renovations, which make it difficult to reconstruct its original appearance. With a simple quadrangular plan, it shows on the outside a mixture of styles that in that period influenced all of Sicilian architecture: the cube-shaped volume recalls the Arab style; the square corner towers echo the Norman one; the round tower instead refers to the Swabian military constructions. Castelbuono has a lot to offer also to the palates of its visitors: delicious and appreciated is the manna, which is obtained from the solidification of the elaborate sap that comes out, during the summer season, from the incisions made on the trunk and on the main branches of some species of Madonite ash. . It is used for the production of confectionery and herbal products.