San Leonardo

The Castle of San Leonardo – Brief Overview

Originally it was a tower, built to protect Favignana from Saracen invaders. It was King Roger I who found a new use for the fort by transforming it into a castle. Later it was given to Leonardo Bertolino who renewed it and built a house.
After Italy’s unification, the castle was owned by the Town Hall which then sold it to the Florio family in 1876. It was Ignazio Florio Senior who had demolished the building and replaced it with the Florio Palace, a work of rare beauty that the architect Damiani Ameyda created in the honor of a great family.