Beneath Lombardy Castle: An Ancient Sican Temple Revealed

The Castello di Lombardia, a Renaissance castle in Enna, Sicily, stands atop a hill, one of the largest and oldest edifices in Italy. Its history dates to the Siconi, an ancient people, who built a fortress on the strategically fortified hill. A Roman fortress was subsequently erected, but the castle's hidden gem lies beneath its northern walls: an ancient Sican temple dedicated to Ceres, a deity associated with agriculture and fertility. Buried under the castle, the temple sheds light on the widespread cult of Ceres in Sicily and Italy. Over the centuries, the castle's ownership changed, with the Byzantines, Muslims, Normans, and Richard of Lentini who, commissioned by Emperor Frederick II in the 13th century, restored the castle as a summer retreat. Today, it stands as a relic of Sicily's intriguing history.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons