Ventimiglia castles: Castelbuono, Geraci and Gangi

The Ventimiglia, a family of Genoese origin, ruled much of the Madonie for centuries from 1258: first from Geraci, then from Castelbuono. Today you can visit three of their castles: the castle of Castelbuono, founded in 1317 and home to the Museo Civico (full ticket 6 euros), the ruins of the castle of Geraci Siculo with the chapel of Sant’Anna, free to enter, and the castle of Gangi, privately owned and visible only from outside.

At a glance

• Castle of Castelbuono: Museo Civico and Palatine Chapel with stucco work by the Serpotta brothers. From November to March open every day from 9.30 am to 4.45 pm; full ticket 6 euros, reduced 4 (Museo Civico di Castelbuono).
• Castle of Geraci Siculo: ruins at over 1,100 metres and the chapel of Sant’Anna. Free entry, guided tours on booking (Balarm).
• Castle of Gangi: private, seen only from outside (Balarm).
• Route: from Cefalù to Castelbuono 23 km, then Geraci 22 km and Gangi 14 km, on the SS286 and SS120.
• Ventimiglia festivals: Sant’Anna in Castelbuono from 25 to 27 July, Giostra dei Ventimiglia in Geraci on the first weekend of August.

Who the Ventimiglia were

They were a family of Genoese origin who, once in Sicily, rose to a position of power, writes the Museo Civico di Castelbuono. For centuries the history of Castelbuono and theirs are one and the same.

The historian Orazio Cancila devoted two volumes to the family, I Ventimiglia di Geraci (1258-1619). The main milestones, following his table of contents and the Palermo Soprintendenza paper on the castle of Geraci:

Year	What happens
1258	Enrico Ventimiglia marries Elisabetta Creon and obtains the barony of Geraci
1311	Francesco I builds, or perhaps rebuilds, the chapel of Sant’Anna in the castle of Geraci
1317	Francesco I founds Castrum bonum, that is Castelbuono
1338	the castle of Geraci is taken by royal troops and Francesco I dies
1436	Giovanni Ventimiglia becomes marquis of Geraci, the first such title in the Kingdom
1454	the residence moves from Geraci to Castelbuono, together with the relics of Sant’Anna
1632	under Giovanni III Castelbuono receives the title of city
1684	Francesco Rodrigo Ventimiglia commissions the stucco work in the Palatine Chapel

Some dates vary from source to source. The Soprintendenza dates the castle of Castelbuono to 1316 and the title of marquis to 1433; we follow Cancila for the foundation (1317) and the marquisate (1436). The dates 1632 and 1684 come from the Museo Civico.

The castle of Castelbuono

It is the best preserved of the three and the only one with a museum inside. It stands in Piazza Castello, in the upper part of the old town. The town takes its name from the castle itself, the Castrum bonum.

What to see

• The Palatine Chapel of Sant’Anna, decorated with stucco work by Giuseppe and Giacomo Serpotta on a pure gold background: cherubs, drapery and fantastic creatures, commissioned in 1684 (Museo Civico).
• The reliquary with the skull of Sant’Anna, behind the chapel grille. It is shown to the faithful only on the three days of the feast, from 25 to 27 July.
• The Museo Civico collections: archaeology, sacred art, modern and contemporary art, and the town planning section, which tells the story of Castelbuono and the Ventimiglia from the 12th century to today.

Opening hours and tickets

Period	Hours
November-March	every day, 9.30 am-4.45 pm
April-October	every day, 9.30 am-1 pm and 3-6.30 pm

Full ticket 6 euros, reduced 4 euros (ages 8 to 18, over 65 and groups), 2 euros for residents and people born in Castelbuono. Free entry for children up to 7 and for people with disabilities plus one companion. Ticket office: +39 0921 671211. Data from the Museo Civico di Castelbuono, checked on 19 October 2026: the museum notes that hours may change, so call ahead if you go on a public holiday.

The feast of Sant’Anna

Every year at the end of July the relic leaves the chapel. In 2026 the shrine was opened on Saturday 25 July and the procession took place on Monday 27; on the 27th the town receives the blessing from the balcony of the castle’s south-west tower. The full programme is on the page for the Festa di Sant’Anna in Castelbuono.

The castle of Geraci Siculo

Geraci was the first capital of the Ventimiglia. The castle stands at over 1,100 metres, on the highest point of the village, and from there it controlled the roads towards Catania and Messina and the coast as far as the Aeolian Islands (Palermo Soprintendenza).

What remains are ruins: the cut-off corners of the towers, the arrow slits, two cisterns and the chapel of Sant’Anna, the only building still intact (Balarm). The plan is triangular and follows the shape of the rock. In 2004 the Soprintendenza carried out a first excavation campaign, which cleared the tops of the walls and made the first survey of most of the rooms possible.

The relics of Sant’Anna were kept here, in the palatine chapel, before they were moved to Castelbuono in the years when the court moved, around 1454.

Visiting: the area is always open and entry is free. Guided tours can be booked on +39 0921 643607 (Balarm).

When to go: on the first weekend of August there is the Giostra dei Ventimiglia, a re-enactment of the 14th century with a knights’ joust. In 2026 it took place on 1 and 2 August.

You will find more about the village on our page for Geraci Siculo.

The castle of Gangi

The castle of Gangi stands on Monte Marone, in the upper part of the town. It was built between the late 13th and the early 14th century at the wish of Francesco I Ventimiglia. It stayed in the family until 1625, then passed to the Graffeo and the Valguarnera (Balarm).

In the 17th century it became more of a palace than a castle. Later it served as a prison and, between the 1960s and the 1980s, as a school. In 1931 the left wing was demolished to make room for the town aqueduct.

Visiting: it is privately owned and closed to the public. From outside you can see the façade on Piazza Valguarnera, between two old towers, with its rusticated doorway and the row of wrought-iron balconies on the main floor. The rest of the town is on our page for Gangi.

Driving route: the three castles in one day

Leg	Km	Road
Cefalù → Castelbuono	23	SS113, SS286
Castelbuono → Geraci Siculo	22	SS286
Geraci Siculo → Gangi	14	SS286, SS120
Gangi → Palermo	117	SS120, A19

We calculated these distances on OpenStreetMap with OSRM.

Our advice: start in Castelbuono in the morning, when the museum opens at 9.30, and allow at least a couple of hours for the castle and the old town. Have lunch in Castelbuono or Geraci, walk up to the ruins in the early afternoon and finish in Gangi before sunset.

For food see where to eat in Castelbuono and where to eat in Geraci Siculo. If you want to stay overnight, see where to stay in Castelbuono.

Other castles, churches and museums in the area are under History and culture of the Madonie. The starting town is described on our page for Castelbuono.