Burgimilluso Castle

The Burgimilluso Castle was built in 1239 at the wishes of Fredrick II of Swabia with the purpose of protecting and controlling the new urban centre of Menfi, as well as being used occasionally by the imperial court. Therefore, rather than solely a castle of defence, it could be considered a royal residence. What is known about the former mighty castle is a defence tower with an octagonal base, which was almost completely destroyed by the 1968 earthquake. All that remains today are the walls of the ground floor area and the grafts of the overhead vault that was rebuilt by the architect Vittorio Gregotti, reproducing the volume of the ancient structure. The building is accessed through a grand portal that incorporates the only surviving fragment of the original building and leads to the communal services located inside. Additionally a new spiral stairway has been constructed that, like a spatial zip, joins the tower and the adjacent Pignatelli Palace. The external brickwork was carried out using local tuff stone.