Castellammare del Golfo

Coordinates: 38°01′35″N 12°52′50″E / 38.02639°N 12.88056°E / 38.02639; 12.88056
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Castellammare del Golfo
Casteḍḍammari (Sicilian)
Comune di Castellammare del Golfo
Coat of arms of Castellammare del Golfo
Location of Castellammare del Golfo
Map
UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
91014
Balata di Baida: 91010
Dialing code0924
Patron saintMaria SS. del Soccorso
Saint dayAugust 21
WebsiteOfficial website

Castellammare del Golfo (Italian:

Trapani Province of Sicily. The name can be translated as "Sea Fortress on the Gulf", stemming from the medieval fortress in the harbor. The nearby body of water conversely takes its name from the town, and is known as Gulf of Castellammare
.

Heading upwards from its marina/harbour called "Cala Marina", with many restaurants and bars, the urban plan is made of steps and winding streets that lead to Piazza Petrolo in one direction or towards the main central gardens, where the town center lies with many shops, cafes and restaurants. The main street is called Corso Garibaldi.

History

According to the opinion of historians and geographers such as Ptolemy, Diodorus Siculus and Strabo, Castellammare del Golfo was born as Emporium Segestanorum, port of Segesta, a nearby city which shared the same ordeals until its fall. The Arabs Invaded Castellammare del Golfo from 827 AD, and called it "Al Madarig", which means "The Steps", probably due to an uphill steep street leading from the harbour to the area of the fortified bastion. It was the Arabs who first built the castle fortress, later enlarged by the Normans. The building rose on a rocky outcrop near the sea, linked to the mainland by a wooden drawbridge.[3]

Fishing has been important in Castellammare del Golfo since ancient times. Today the town's economy continues to be based on fishing with the addition of tourism.

The small town is also noted for having been the birthplace of many

Castellamarese war, fought by the Masseria clan against the Maranzano clan for control of the Underworld in New York City
.

During the height of Italian immigration to the

Bronx, New York and all throughout the borough of Staten Island
.

In the past decades Castellammare del Golfo has become an important tourist location as it is conveniently situated between Palermo and Trapani.

Nearby places

Nearby places include Segesta, with its Doric temple and an amphitheater where performances are still held.

From Castellammare del Golfo you can take a boat trip departing from Cala Marina to the

Egadi Islands
situated in front of Trapani.

To the east, the gulf of Castellammare has a stretch of 30 kilometres (19 mi) of white sandy beaches.

Films

Castellammare del Golfo has also been a location for various films, including:

People

See also

References

  1. ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  3. ^ Castellamare history

External links