The Castle of Ficarra and the prison fortress

Of the castle of Ficarra, we already have news from the twelfth century, even if we attest to the presence of a fort in the Arab era. Over the centuries it changed hands from one noble family to another until it became the property, in 1430, of Baron di Brolo Pietro Lancia who made it his summer residence. In the 18th century, this monumental complex was converted into a prison fortress. The architectural body has a square plan surrounded by high blind walls that made the fortress impregnable where a single portal, dating back to 1500 is the access point. After passing this entrance you enter the internal courtyard where there is a well for collecting rainwater. Inside the structure, now owned by the municipality, there is the Museum of medieval games and toys where countless reproductions of toys and pastimes used by children of the Middle Ages are kept.