The Tafuri Castle, dating back to 1935, is situated on a rocky promontory on the southeastern coast of Sicily, in front of the island of Capo Passero (SR). It stands against a backdrop of azure and crystalline sea and has long been the symbol of this small fishing village, now a destination for tourists and surfers. The history of the castle has been largely reconstructed.
The patron, Franzo Bruno di Belmonte, entrusted the construction of a villa in the form of a castle to the Florentine architect Crott. Severino Crott (Castiglion Fiorentino, 1886-1972), known for numerous stylistic expansions of religious buildings in Tuscany, works for the first and only time in Sicily on the Castle.
He drafted the project in 1933, and construction began in 1935. The exact date of the suspension of the works, likely due to economic problems, is not precisely known. The castle remained incomplete until 1957 when it was purchased by the Tafuri family.
It was completed and transformed into a hotel since 1964, with further expansions in 1971-72. In 1986, it was leased to third parties, who held it until its definitive closure in 1998.
The stone is inherent to the castle; it defines it, marks it in its architectural elements. It is a magnificent white stone, hard, compact, expertly crafted in its bush-hammered finishes, decorative elements, and perfectly squared blocks. It is the protagonist of this building, in its load-bearing and decorative variations. Thanks to it, the castle has remained structurally intact over time. It gave life to the structure and shapes the wall surfaces, emphasized by its texture.
The Ionian Sea that bathes the shores beneath the Castle is sufficiently deep, providing colors and shades ranging from turquoise to blue, passing through green. It is a sea with relatively low surface salinity, while the intermediate salinity is high. The tide is not pronounced, and the variation in sea level is minimal. The water temperature is pleasant in the summer and autumn seasons.
The surroundings are characterized by the presence of beautiful free and equipped beaches with very light, fine sand that gives the sea a suggestive “tropical” effect.
sources: castellotafuri.it
Sorgenti : luoghi.italianbotanicalheritage.com | riserva-vendicari.it
