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The Calatubo Castle (Latin: ''catrum Calathatubi''; Arabic: قلعة ﺍوبي - ''Qal'at 'Awbi'';〔 Italian: ''Castello di Calatubo'') is an ancient fortress that is located near the town of Alcamo (in Sicily). The site has remains of a settlement of the Elymians and a necropolis. Being next to A29 motorway, it attracts the curiosity of travelers because of its imposing mass; however, it is unknown to most people today, and has fallen into disrepair, although the Town Council of Alcamo has often expressed the desire to recover it.〔 (Alpa Uno, Castello di Calatubo, M5S: "Pessime notizie" )〕 It is closed to visitors because it is abandoned. == History == The origins of the castle date back to some years before 1093, the year in which Roger I of Sicily defined the boundaries of the diocese of Mazara〔 that included "Calatubo with all its dependencies".〔 Pippo Lo Cascio, Comunicazioni e trasmissioni. La lunga storia della comunicazione umana dai fari al telegrafo, Rubbettino Editore, 2002, ISBN 8849801297, p. 159.〕 In ancient times, around the castle there was the village of Calatubo, which based its business on the extraction of stones for water and wind mills〔Paolo Malanima, Pre-Modern European Economy: One Thousand Years (10th-19th Centuries), BRILL, 2009, ISBN 9004178228, p. 75.〕 from the quarries around the creek Finocchio,〔 as mentioned by the Arab geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi in ''The Book of Roger'', written in 1154.〔 The village of Calatubo was abandoned after the conquest by Frederick II and the castle lost its original function as a military fortress, turning into a farm.〔 During this period, the castle joined warehouses, stables and other structures used for the administration of the agricultural fief of Calatubo.〔 Since the Middle Ages, because of its visibility, the Calatubo Castle had an important strategic role: in fact it was part of a line of towers and forts along the coast from Palermo to Trapani; this defensive line was used to transmit light signals in case of Saracens' attack. In particular, the castle of Calatubo guaranteed the flow of information that took place between the outposts of Carini, Partinico and Castellammare del Golfo.〔 At the end of the nineteenth century in the second courtyard some warehouses were set up for the production of the wine "Calatubo".〔 (Castelli di Sicilia )〕 The castle remained in good condition until the 1968 Belice earthquake. The use of the structure as a sheepfold and illegal excavations, which had as their targets the finds of the necropolis of the seventh century BC pertaining to the castle,〔 have further ruined the castle. In 2007 it was bought for 60 thousand euros by the municipality of Alcamo〔 (Archeologia in rovina Blog, "Calatubo, ovvero le perle alle pecore" )〕 and over the past few years (2003-2014) has been reported several times as part of the cultural initiative ''"I Luoghi del Cuore"'' sponsored by the ''Italian Environmental Fund'' (FAI), which has as its objective the protection and enhancement of the artistic and cultural heritage of Italy.〔 (I luoghi del cuore, "Castello di Calatubo" )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Calatubo Castle」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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