Mussomeli Castle is a magic and evocative palace where it is possible to enjoy a breathtaking view of the coastline. Built in 1370 by Manfredi Chiaramonte III, this Norman-Gothic castle stands in a strategic position overlooking the whole valley as it is on top of a high limestone crag almost 800 meters above sea level.
The Mussomeli Castle has not undergone radical changes throughout its history therefore you can get a clear idea of the Sicilian gothic style. The ruins of a great past have been well preserved. The castle was built on 3 levels: the chapel (with the precious alabaster depicting the Madonna della Catena 1516), the aristocratic apartments and an underground. with large halls, dungeons and torture cells. Here you will find the ‘Prison of Death’ where the condemned were kept till they were lowered through a passageway door and drowned.
References:Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.
Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.
There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.