What is Castroreale known for?

Last surviving piece of the 1324 castle Frederick II of Aragon made his royal residence, anchoring the ridge above the Milazzo plain. Over eighty churches in a town of 2,246 residents, with the Pinacoteca holding the sacred art salvaged from lost monasteries. Placed second in RAI's national competition behind Gradara, the strongest Sicilian showing in the show's recent history.

Where is Castroreale?

Castroreale is a comune in the province of Messina, Sicily region of Italy, about 54 kilometers from Messina.

Sicily · Messina

Castroreale

A ridge townabove the Milazzo plain, rebuilt by Frederick II of Aragon in 1324 as a royal demesne and second in the 2018 Borgo dei Borghi.

54 km / 34 mi

Nearest hub (Messina)

2,246

Population

May–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Borghi più belli d'Italia

Why come

Castroreale sitson a ridge above the Milazzo plain, between the Peloritani slopes and the Tyrrhenian. Frederick II of Aragon ordered the castle rebuilt in 1324, made the town his preferred residence, and granted the royal privileges that gave the place its name, castrum regale, the royal fortress. By the fifteenth century a Jewish community lived behind the Monte di Pietà; an arch of the lost Synagogue still stands. The 1717 earthquake killed many residents and collapsed buildings. Castroreale carries over eighty churches in a town of barely 2,246 people, and the Pinacoteca di Santa Maria degli Angeli holds the sacred art salvaged from the lost monasteries. The town placed second in RAI's 2018 Borgo dei Borghi competition, behind Gradara in the Marche. The Andromeda association runs a small planetarium from the historic centre.

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Gallery

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Known for

Torre di Federico II d'Aragona
Surviving tower of the 1324 castle ordered by Frederick II of Aragon, the high point of the ridge and the symbol of the town.
Duomo di Santa Maria Assunta
Mother church on the central piazza, with a Renaissance portal and works from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
Pinacoteca di Santa Maria degli Angeli
Parish museum of sacred art, holding works recovered from the chapels, churches and monasteries of the Castroreale territory.
Palazzo del Peculio
Elegant municipal palace on the corso, seat of the comune and one of the civil monuments of the historic centre.
Monte di Pietà
Founded 1581, the institution that backed the medieval Jewish quarter; an arch of the lost Synagogue still stands behind it.
Planetario Andromeda
Small planetarium run by the local Andromeda association from a building in the historic centre, with public observation nights.

When to visit

Best months · May–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

May through October is the season the ridge handles well. The Tyrrhenian below stays clear, the air at 394 meters is cooler than Milazzo on the plain, and the centro storico opens its trattorie and churches. July and August push past thirty-two degrees and the lanes empty in mid-afternoon, though the evening sea breeze cools the ridge quickly. April and November are quiet, often beautiful. Winter is mild but wet; many churches lock for the season. The Patronal festa for Santa Maria Assunta falls on 15 August with a procession through the corso. The medieval Pasqua dei Vermicelli, with a tall reed processional cross, runs every Easter.