MUSSOMELI CASTLE - CHIARAMONTE FAMILY
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Mussomeli, in the Province of Caltanissetta, was founded in the second half of the XIV century by Manfredi III Chiaramonte, who also built a superb castle on an isolated cliff, 2km from town. Indubitably the most inaccessible and most impregnable of all the castles in Sicily, Mussomeli Castle was built in the 1370s bu the current appearance is dated back to the early XV century. It appears as an integral part of a rocky limestone crag that towers in solitary isolation above the countryside of Caltanissetta. The fortress is surrounded by an irregular boundary wall that exploits to the utmost every natural feature offered by the rock face, with the result that the part built by man blends imperceptibly into that created by nature. The outer facade of the castle is rich in decorations, with its great gate and its windows covered in Gothic ornamentation. Inside, there is a chapel, strongly mystic, the "Hall of the Barons", with valuable Chiaramonte style portals, the "Chamber of the Three Women", which delicate furniture reflecting, obviously, female touch and taste. Very interesting are also the underground corridors, where according to the legend, treasures were hidden and mysterious events happened. In fact there are many legends about the Mussomeli Castle. They say that many visitors declare to hear strange noises, rustle of silk clothes, sounds of arms and strange sighs, as to be surrounded by strange presences. These legends are due to the fact that the castle is been the centre of various tragic events, for example the history of the jealous Baron that had to go away for a battle and immured his three sisters in the "Chamber of the Three Women", a tunnel still now visible, with enough supplies for the time of a military campaign. But the times of the conflict were longer and the women died of starvation. The Mussomeli Castle is known also for the tragic event with Laura Lanza, Baroness of Carini and Cesare Lanza's daughter, as protagonist. In 1500 Cesare Lanza was the only owner of the castle and he lived here with his family. The story says that Cesare Lanza, when he knew that his daughter Laura, married with the Baron Carini, had extra-married life relationship with a young knight, to defend the honour of the family name, went near to the Carini Castle, where Laura lived and murdered his daughter, strangling her. Cesare Lanza, devoured by the remorse, decided to take refuge in Mussomeli Castle to expiate his guilt. Still now it seems that the ghost of this unhappy woman wandered in the Mussomeli Castle to look for her father. Some witnesses declare that her materialization is nearly perfect. Laura should wear clothes dating to the XVI century, a comfortable silk skirt and a bodice with a refined shawl.
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