Colombaia Castle

Probably the older Symbolic place, together with Ligny Tower, in Trapani

The Colombaia Castle is known also as Peliade Tower or the Sea-Castle, it lays on a very little island on the west side of Trapani. It has a hight of 32 m and it's the best specimen of the army Sicilian architecture

La Colombaia is, together with Torre Ligny, probably the most  renowned and ancient symbol of the city of Trapani. Many a story tells about its first building, but historiographers agree it was founded by Amilcare Barca, father of the more famous Annibal who crossed  the Alps with the elephants to fight against the Romans. It was in the 1st Punic war era.The Colombaia was given the present octagonal shape when it was built again by Aragonese. Later in 1400 it was enlarged and it became a fortification during the reign of Carlo V, as a defence from the Barbarian raids. Later changes have been by order of the viceroy Don Claudio Lombardo, Prince of Ligny (XVII c.). Outside on one of the walls you can still read a plaque the Prince wanted in 1671. When the building was of no soldierly use anymore, it became a Borbonic prison, and after the revolts on 1821 till 1860 it guested the  Risorgimento Sicilian patriots, among them Michele Fardella, lord of Mokarta who then became major. The building was a jail till 1965 and then abandoned. It has been recently restored thanks to the contribution of the association "Salviamo La Colomabia" that rules it to be visited.