BALESTRATE
Balestrate
is a small agricultural and seaside town in the Palermo province.
Historians maintain that it was bestowed upon Nicolà Leonfante
by Alfonso il Magnifico. A millstone and a tuna-fishery were later
established, the latter built on the Sicciara beach.
It
was right by this tuna-fishery that the earliest settlement of to-day’s
Balestrate developed.
Visitors
of Balestrate can enjoy various historical and cultural sites, such
as the remains of a Greek necropolis going back to the 6th-5th centuries
BC, tombs of Arab origin and a castle known as Calatubo. This retains
its triangular defensive walls and four towers, two of which are
square while the others are smaller in size. It is perched atop
a cliff, enjoying a magnificent and well-protected position. Unfortunately,
the building is rather heavily damaged.
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