The Cortiletto holiday

Castelbuono owes its origins to Ventimiglia, Lords of the County of Geraci, who in the early 1300s decided to build a castle on the hill overlooking the ancient farmhouse of "Ypsigro". A few kilometers from the sea, Castelbuono has developed at the foot of the Madonie in a pleasant valley already inhabited in the Neolithic and full of Greek, Roman, Arab and Byzantine memories. In 1316 Francesco I dei Ventimiglia, counts of Geraci and relatives of Frederick II, built a castle according to the male model to which the residence stands, using the structure that already dominated Ypsigro, a small farmhouse that, in 1282, had 300 inhabitants . The construction of the castle makes this small community grow so much that in 1454, when Giovanni I moved there with its "court", Castelbuono is the most lively center in the vast heritage of Ventimiglia. John carries with him the most important sign of the family's value: the sacred Relic of the skull of St. Anna, donated to William by the Duke of Lorraine. The Castle and S. Anna, the patron saint of the village, will be the two pins of many events in Castelbuono, the "capital" of the Ventimiglia.

The craftsmanship in Castelbuono is still very flourishing, even if some forms are now extinct. Works in wood and wrought iron are very popular and appreciated. On the other hand, women's craftsmanship deserves particular attention: embroidery, lace, weaving. In the field of conservation and restoration, artisans of outstanding stature work and the antiques sector continues to grow. Among the typical artisan products, confectionery products are also very popular abroad. You can taste doves and Easter eggs decorated by hand, panettone, almond products, biscuits of various shapes and types and a delicious homemade bread. The affirmation and prestige achieved by some wineries and oil companies whose products, of the highest quality, are exported all over the world have been important for years.

To visit: the Church of Maria Santissima Assunta - Matrice Vecchia, where we find the crypt containing medieval, renaissance and baroque frescoes, the Church of the Nativity of Mary - Matrice Nuova, the Castle, inside which is the Palatine Chapel of S. Anna; the Fountain of Venus Ciprea: placed at the center of the "old land", today the main course is the fountain of Venus Ciprea (XV century), which decorated the entrance of the ancient Ypsigro, the Civic Museum and the Naturalistic Museum Francesco Mina Palumbo, located in via Roma, inside which there is a large archaeological collection of the same name, which documents the existence of some ancient Neolithic settlements and the passage of different cultures. The museum mainly develops around collections of minerals, fossils and the herbarium with the spontaneous flora of the Madonie, the plants of agrarian and pathological interest, birds and insects, and finally a rich library.

Feast of the Patron Saint Anne 27 July