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.
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10 comments:

  1. eileeninmd14 March 2012 at 03:23

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

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  2. Indrani14 March 2012 at 04:33

    Wonderful captures. Great place to visit.

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  3. Andrea14 March 2012 at 04:54

    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. Shirley14 March 2012 at 06:14

    A beautiful, magical old place!

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  5. Tim14 March 2012 at 13:39

    Beautiful photos Nick. I love the faded rustic charm.

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  6. Light and Voices14 March 2012 at 17:22

    Quaint, rustic scene.
    Joyce M

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  7. Giga15 March 2012 at 02:39

    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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  8. carol l mckenna15 March 2012 at 05:01

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

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  9. Kathy18 March 2012 at 05:10

    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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  10. EmmaCiaravino21 March 2013 at 02:32

    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.

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