EnnaSperlinga.
Already in existence in the 11th c. and a Norman
and Swabian stronghold, it remained faithful to
the French during the War of the Sicilian Vespers
, until it was stormed by Pietro d'Aragona (1283).
In the 14th and 15th c. it became a fief of the
the Ventimiglia family; after 1597 it belonged to
the Natoli family who created the modern little
town, transforming the old fortified village.
The old Norman Castle stands on the great rock
overlooking Sperlinga; over the second entrance
leading into the castle is the celebrated inscription
"Quod Siculis placuit sola Sperlinga negavit",
i.e. "Only Sperlinga denied that which the
Sicilians desired", recalling the role played
by Sperlinga in 1282, on the out break of the War
of the Vespers, when the fleeing French found shelter
in this castle. It is interesting to visit the castle
with its series of rooms hewn out of the rock, together
with the ruins of the adjacent little church of
Santa Lucia.
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