Castel di Tusa

Castel di Tusa is the coastal settlement of the comune of Tusa, with a natural harbour beneath the remains of Castello San Giorgio. It is also a point of connection between the coast and the sculpture route of Fiumara d'Arte.

Why it matters

The village combines a historic fishing harbour with contemporary public art. The Fiumara d'Arte project follows the Tusa river across several municipalities, while the Atelier sul Mare, founded in 1991, brought art into the village's seafront setting.

What to notice

Castello San Giorgio occupies the cliff above the natural roadstead. Along the nearby coast, Tano Festa's Monumento per un poeta morto, also known as Finestra sul mare, dates to 1989. The reinforced-concrete work is an eighteen-metre frame dedicated to Francesco Lo Savio and associated with the Fiumara d'Arte project. The harbour and shoreline retain the village's relationship to fishing and the sea.

Context and history

Castel di Tusa developed as the maritime settlement of Tusa, whose inland archaeological area includes Halaesa Arconidea. The municipality records Castello San Giorgio as a massive fortress above the natural roadstead. The contemporary chapter began with the Fiumara d'Arte project, conceived in the 1980s and formally recognised as a protected cultural route in 2006.