Wednesday 14 March 2012

CASTELLAMARE DEL GOLFO, SICILY

While driving from Palermo to Segesta in Sicily, we came upon a very picturesque town. Castellammare del Golfo (Sicilian: Casteddammari) is a town and 'comune' in the Trapani Province of Sicily. The name is roughly translated "Sea-Fortress (castle [on the] sea) of the Gulf", deriving from the medieval fortress in the harbour. The body of water it sits upon also takes its name from the fortress, Golfo di Castellammare.

In ancient times, Castellammare had been the harbor of Segesta, one of the main towns of the Elymian people.  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 noted, however, for having been the birthplace of many American Mafia figures, including Salvatore Maranzano, Stefano Magaddino, Joseph Barbara, Gaspare Milazzo, Peter Magaddino, Giovanni Bonventre, Pietro Caiozzo, Gaspare DiGregorio, Matteo DiGregorio, Sebastiano Domingo, Giovanni D'Anna, Francesco Puma, Camillo Galante, Pietro Crociata, Michele Adamo, Girolamo Asaro, Francesco Garofalo, Giovanni Fiordilino, Giovanni Tartamella, Joseph Buccellato, Francesco Buccellato, Vito Buccellato, Natale Evola, Vincenzo Danna, Charles DiBenedetto, Jimmy Costa, Giovanni Romano, Sasa Parrino, Cola Schiro, Joseph Notaro and Joseph Bonanno. From this name comes also the Castellamarese war, fought by Joe Masseria clan against Salvatore Maranzano clan for the leadership of the Italian Mafia in New York City!


This post is part of the Watery Wednesday meme,
and also part of the the Outdoor Wednesday meme.








10 comments:

  1. Gorgeous watery scenes and what a wonderful place to visit. Thanks for sharing your tour.

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  2. Wonderful captures. Great place to visit.

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  3. Hi Nick i wonder why even with a lot of boats on that shore, the photos look indifferent for me. It seems unfriendly, i don't know why i had that feeling. But of course your shots are great!

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  4. A beautiful, magical old place!

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  5. Beautiful photos Nick. I love the faded rustic charm.

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  6. To miasteczko jest urocze ( byłam tam), ale nie widziałam, że jest miejscem narodzin tylu przedstawicieli mafii. Twoje zdjęcia są wspaniałe. Pozdrawiam. *** This town is lovely (I was there), but did not see that is the birthplace of so many representatives of the mafia. Your pictures are great. Yours.

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  7. What a beautiful country and awesome photos ~ Wow! ~ thanks, namaste, Carol ^_^

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  8. That chair looks like it might not have a seat in it, but if it did, I'd like to sit in it for a while and enjoy the view!

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  9. I appreciate your pictures and have many of my own. We dearly love this town and look forward to many more visits there. The people were very friendly and we walked everywhere without fear. Food is superb! Especially the Ciaravino restaurant on the beach.

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I love to hear from you, so please comment. I appreciate constructive criticism as it improves my skills as an amateur photographer.