Castello di Pentefur

Above the rooftops of Savoca, Castello di Pentefur survives in fragments of crenellated wall, cisterns and the remains of a keep. The hilltop stronghold once served as a centre of local power.

Why it matters

For centuries the castle served as a centre of local power and as the summer residence of the Archimandrite of Messina, who held the title Baron of Savoca. The municipality describes a possible late-Roman or Byzantine predecessor, Arab-era settlement and a Norman rebuilding around 1070. The remaining ruins mark the hilltop above Savoca’s church quarter.

What to notice

Surviving features include stretches of crenellated curtain wall, cisterns and the remains of the mastio, or keep. The municipality records traces of rooms and paving exposed in archaeological test digs across an area of about 350 square metres. The hilltop position connected the castle to Savoca’s coastal watchtower system.

Context and history

The municipality describes a possible late-Roman or Byzantine fortification beneath the castle and settlement on the site during Arab rule. Around 1070 the Normans refounded the castle, which later served as the Archimandrite’s summer residence. It was proclaimed a royal castle in 1355 and returned to the Archimandrites in 1396; they restored and enlarged it in 1480 and 1631. Earthquakes in 1693, 1783 and 1908 caused repeated collapses. The Nicòtina family has owned the site since 1885.