Aci Castello

Aci Castello (Sicilian: Jaci Casteḍḍu) is a comune in the Metropolitan City of Catania in Sicily, Italy.

The town of Aci Castello developed around the castle, built in 1076 by the Normans on the foundations of a 7th-century Byzantine fortification.

[3][4] Following the 1169 eruption of Mount Etna, which rendered nearby towns uninhabitable, Aci Castello started to expand.

In 1296, Roger of Lauria, admiral of the Aragonese fleet during the War of the Sicilian Vespers, was granted the fief of Aci and its castle as a reward for his faithful service to King Frederick III of Sicily.

Whilst the latter was away defending Palermo from the attacking Angevins, Bertrando di Balzo sacked Aci in his absence.

Panoramic view of the Norman Castle of Aci Castello in 1990.