The castle

The castle of the Modica Counts was built in the second half of the XIV century and is situated in the city centre. The imposing building is based on a rhomboidal plan. There are four towers, two with a cylindrical shape and two with the shape of a parallelepiped. On the northern front of them, it’s possible to see windows in the Gothic style.

Federica and Alessandro -IVA social sciences-

The cathedral

The cathedral was built in 1332 and is dedicated to S.Maria Assunta. Its present aspect is due to the architects Angelo Italia and Giuseppe Diamante (1669). The façade, designed by Emanuele Cardona, goes back to 1785. The portal of the east side is attributed to Berrettaro (1499). Inside it’s visible the use of red ancient marble. It keeps the fresco of "La Pentecoste" of the XV century discovered during the restorations of 1958.

Rossella IVA- social sciences-

Alcamo and its history

Alcamo was founded in 828 by the Muslim commander al-Kamuk (after whom it is named). The original Christian settlement was located on the Bonifato mount. In the Middle Ages Alcamo was largely inhabited by Muslim people. A series of Arab revolts took place between 1221 and 1243 then King Frederick II decided to move much of the Arab population to a colony at Lucera, while Christians moved from Bonifato to the city.Several feudataries of the Kingdom of Naples succeeded in the rule of the city but in 1618 Vittoria Colonna sold Alcamo to Pietro Balsamo prince of Roccafiorita. A terrible pestilence decimated the population in the late 16th century. With the abolition of the feudality,the city became a direct royal possession.

Jessica and Mariella -class IVA

Welcome

LLP funded project

Welcome to the blog "The image of the other" where we will carry out a multilateral Comenius project in collaboration with Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Slovenia. The aim is to compare different cultures in order to overcome prejudices and stereotypes. We hope you'll enjoy it.