Poira Castle: A Medieval Rural Estate in Sicily
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.1
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Italy
- Primary era
- Medieval
- Eras represented
- Classical, Medieval
- Civilizations
- Ancient Greek
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
On this page8 sections
History
Poira Castle, also known as the Castle of the Baroness of Poira, is a medieval complex in Italy, in the territory of Paternò, Sicily. It was probably built during the medieval period on the remains of an older settlement inhabited by the Siculi, an ancient people of Sicily who lived on parts of the island before and during Greek colonization.
A feudal rural estate
The complex served as a masseria, a rural agricultural estate with residential, storage, and animal-related buildings, until the end of the twentieth century. Its four major building blocks accommodated domestic life, storage, animals, and religious activities. During the modern period, Poira Castle was the residence of the Spitaleri barons of Adernò, who held the Poira fief, a territory governed by a feudal lord in return for service or allegiance.
The Spitaleri kidnapping
In the late nineteenth century, the Banda Maurina attacked the castle in what became known as the Spitaleri kidnapping. The brigands demanded and received 50,000 lire for Baron Spitaleri’s safety, but they also entered the building, looted it, and fled. The Banda Maurina operated in the countryside of the Catania and Messina areas.
Archaeological discovery and abandonment
In 1995, the Catania Superintendency for Cultural Heritage brought a Greek necropolis, or cemetery associated with an ancient settlement, to light on Poira Hill. Its tombs date from the sixth and fifth centuries BC and contained pottery in various styles. The castle was later abandoned and looted. It is designated as Italian national heritage.
Remains
Castle complex
Poira Castle stands in the Poira district at the summit of the Calanchi hills, along the road from Paternò to Centuripe. The surviving ruins preserve traces of a double circuit of walls, together with arrow slits and splayed windows. A large cistern, a chapel, and a room with fireplaces also survive. The complex remains legible as four large building blocks whose residential, storage, animal-shelter, and religious functions formed the physical organization of the rural estate.
Cave of the Slaves
A short distance from the castle is the Cave of the Slaves, probably a Roman ergastulum, a detention facility associated with agricultural labor. It is described as a place where enslaved workers were confined after work and where people who resisted the imposed labor were chained.
Greek necropolis
The Greek necropolis on Poira Hill contains tombs dating from the sixth and fifth centuries BC. Pottery of varied styles was found among the graves, providing archaeological evidence for the ancient use of the hill before the medieval castle complex.
