Castellammare del Golfo

Castellammare del Golfo
Comune
Comune di Castellammare del Golfo

Coat of arms
Castellammare del Golfo

Location of Castellammare del Golfo in Italy

Coordinates: 38°2′N 12°53′E / 38.033°N 12.883°E / 38.033; 12.883
Country Italy
Region Sicily
Province / Metropolitan city Trapani (TP)
Frazioni Balata di Baida, Scopello, Guidaloca, Fraginesi, Lu Baruni
Government
 • Mayor Nicolò Coppola
Area
 • Total 127.14 km2 (49.09 sq mi)
Elevation 26 m (85 ft)
Population (2015)
 • Total 15,142
 • Density 120/km2 (310/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Castellammaresi
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 91014
Balata di Baida: 91010
Dialing code 0924
Patron saint Maria SS. del Soccorso
Saint day August 21
Website Official website
Castello Normanno Lighthouse
Castellammare del Golfo

Castello Normanno Lighthouse
Sicily
Location Castellammare del Golfo
Sicily
Italy
Coordinates 38°01′50.7″N 12°52′54.8″E / 38.030750°N 12.881889°E / 38.030750; 12.881889
Year first lit 1901
Construction concrete equipment building
Tower shape square prism building with lantern atop a mediaeval fortification
Markings / pattern white lantern
Height 4 metres (13 ft)
Focal height 19 metres (62 ft)
Current lens type TD
Light source mains power
Intensity 100 w
Range 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi)
Characteristic Fl (2) W 10s.
Admiralty number E1992
NGA number 9968
Italy number 3182 E.F.
Managing agent Marina Militare[1][2]

Castellammare del Golfo (Sicilian: Casteddammari; Latin: Emporium Segestanorum / Emporium Aegestensium) is a town and comune in the 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.

Coming from its marina called "Cala Marina", with many restaurants and bars, the urban plan is made of steps and winding streets that lead to Piazza Petrolo or towards the main central gardens, where the town center lies with many shops, cafes and restaurants.

History

According to the opinion of historians and geographers such as Ptolemy, Diodorus and Strabo, Castellammare del Golfo was born as Emporium Segestanorum, port of Segesta, a nearby city which shared the same vicissitudes until its fall. The Arabs occupied 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 Arab 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 dating back to 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 American Mafia figures, including Salvatore Maranzano, Stefano Magaddino, Vito Bonventre, John Tartamella, and Joseph Bonanno. This is the origin of the Castellamarese war, fought by the Masseria clan against the Maranzano clan for the control of the Italian Mafia in New York City.

In the past twenty years 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, the following are the names of a few of them:

See also

References

  1. ↑ Castellammare del Golfo The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 14 August 2016
  2. ↑ Castello Normanno Marina Militare. Retrieved 14 August 2016
  3. ↑ http://en.prolococastellammare.it/history/


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