Castelcivita

The beautiful town of Castelcivita can be described as a beautiful hamlet clinging to a rock spur in which picturesque houses chase each other between flights of stairs and parallel lanes. Known in the past with the name of "Castelluccia", it assumed its current name when the Royal Decree of 1863 testified its union with an ancient village that had disappeared, called Civita. In the 12th century it became a fief of the Fasanella, the Sanseverino, the Capaccio, the Pignatelli and the Spinelli, but it was also the theatre of conspiracies and wars between the aristocratic families who claimed their rights over the town. At the end of the 13th century, when the revolts of the Sicilian Vespers blew up, the inhabitants of Castelcivita strongly opposed the Sicilian-Aragonese troops. What makes Castelcivita a center of touristic interest is certainly its architectural and naturalistic heritage of which it is a jealous guardian. In a similar context, the Museum of Rural Culture that gathers traditions and tells the customs of this enchanting village finds its lifeblood. Founded in 1992, the Castelcivita exhibition is hosted in the Angevin tower and is spread over four floors. On the first floor there are prehistoric finds from the Paleolithic (points, flints, etc.), coming from the famous caves of Castelcivita; on the second floor there is the typical country kitchen of the ‘700-‘ 800, with fireplace, stools, furnishings, earthenware dishes, frames; on the third floor there is a rich exhibition of plows and tools for sowing, harvesting, transporting and processing agricultural products; on the fourth floor, finally, the typical peasant bedroom is reconstructed, with a wrought-iron bed, bedside table, wooden tub, all enriched by period costumes and shoes (zampetti). The visitor's attention is also drawn from a valuable collection of about 1500 books.

The beautiful town of Castelcivita can be described as a beautiful hamlet clinging to a rock spur in which picturesque houses chase each other between flights of stairs and parallel lanes. Known in the past with the name of "Castelluccia", it assumed its current name when the Royal Decree of 1863 testified its union with an ancient village that had disappeared, called Civita. In the 12th century it became a fief of the Fasanella, the Sanseverino, the Capaccio, the Pignatelli and the Spinelli, but it was also the theatre of conspiracies and wars between the aristocratic families who claimed their rights over the town. At the end of the 13th century, when the revolts of the Sicilian Vespers blew up, the inhabitants of Castelcivita strongly opposed the Sicilian-Aragonese troops. What makes Castelcivita a center of touristic interest is certainly its architectural and naturalistic heritage of which it is a jealous guardian. In a similar context, the Museum of Rural Culture that gathers traditions and tells the customs of this enchanting village finds its lifeblood. Founded in 1992, the Castelcivita exhibition is hosted in the Angevin tower and is spread over four floors. On the first floor there are prehistoric finds from the Paleolithic (points, flints, etc.), coming from the famous caves of Castelcivita; on the second floor there is the typical country kitchen of the ‘700-‘ 800, with fireplace, stools, furnishings, earthenware dishes, frames; on the third floor there is a rich exhibition of plows and tools for sowing, harvesting, transporting and processing agricultural products; on the fourth floor, finally, the typical peasant bedroom is reconstructed, with a wrought-iron bed, bedside table, wooden tub, all enriched by period costumes and shoes (zampetti). The visitor's attention is also drawn from a valuable collection of about 1500 books.