Castello di Ventimiglia - Museo Civico
This impressive castle fortress was built in 1316 by the Ventimiglia family. With its four imposing watchtowers, it was once the center of Castelbuono and helped the town become the administrative and defensive capital of the Ventimiglias' vast kingdom. Later it also became the prestigious residence of the family. In 1684, the interior was renovated to accommodate the family, and a new chapel was added and filled with decorative stucco embellishments by Sicilian master sculptors Giuseppe and Giaconoo Serpotta and Antonello Gangini; the chapel is now the town's grandest wedding venue. Other parts of the complex house various collections of the civic museum, including rooms dedicated to the history of the castle and town, archaeological finds, sacred art, modern and contemporary art (1905--2017), and often thought-provoking changing exhibitions. One intriguing room displays 40 works by the Castelbuonese artist Paolo Cicero (1885--1931), containing allusions to his relationship with infamous English occultist Aleister Crowley, who established a spiritual center in Cefalù.
