Castellammare del Golfo is a town and municipality in the Trapani Province of Sicily. The name can be translated as "Sea Fortress on the Gulf", stemming from the medieval fortress in the harbor. The nearby body of water conversely takes its name from the town, and is known as Gulf of Castellammare. Heading upwards from its marina/harbour called "Cala Marina", with many restaurants and bars, the urban plan is made of steps and winding streets that lead to Piazza Petrolo in one direction or towards the main central gardens, where the town center lies with many shops, cafes and restaurants. The main street is called Corso Garibaldi. Castellammare del Golfo has been described as probably having the most beautiful peninsula in all of Sicily.
History
According to the opinion of historians and geographers such as Ptolemy, Diodorus Siculus and Strabo, Castellammare del Golfo was born as Emporium Segestanorum, port of Segesta, a nearby city which shared the same ordeals until its fall. The Arabs occupied Castellammare del Golfo from 827 AD, and called it "Al Madarig", which means "The Steps", probably due to an uphill steep street leading from the harbour to the area of the fortified bastion. It was the Arabs who first built the castle fortress, later enlarged by the Normans. The Arab building rose on a rocky outcrop near the sea, linked to the mainland by a wooden drawbridge. Fishing has been important in Castellammare del Golfo since ancient times. Today the town's economy continues to be based on fishing with the addition of tourism. The small town is also noted for having been the birthplace of many American Mafia figures, including Sebastiano DiGaetano, Salvatore Maranzano, Stefano Magaddino, Vito Bonventre, John Tartamella, and Joseph Bonanno. This is the origin of the Castellamarese war, fought by the Masseria clan against the Maranzano clan for the control of the Italian Mafia in New York City. In the past twenty years Castellammare del Golfo has become an important tourist location as it is conveniently situated between Palermo and Trapani.
Nearby places
Nearby places include Segesta, with its Doric temple and an amphitheater where performances are still held.
From Castellammare del Golfo you can take a boat trip departing from Cala Marina to the Egadi Islands situated in front of Trapani. To the east, the gulf of Castellammare has a stretch of of white sandy beaches.
Films
Castellammare del Golfo has also been a location for various films, including:
