Italy · Restored
Castello Ursino
Castello Ursino is a 13th‑century royal castle in Catania, Sicily, built for the Norman/Swabian kings and later used as a royal residence, prison and today a civic museum. The castle has a rectangular plan with large round towers at each corner and an open inner court; it survived major earthquakes and volcanic activity and now sits within a city piazza. It is publicly accessible as the Museo Civico of Catania.
First raised
1239
Its prime
1250
Today
Restored
As it stood in 1250
The shape it held in its prime.
Rectangular medieval fortress of dark volcanic masonry, with four massive cylindrical corner towers rising slightly above continuous high curtain walls; walls display a pockmarked, vesicular lava-stone texture and small vertical slit windows. The roofline is low and flat behind the towers; the east curtain incorporates an inlaid pentagram of black lava stone. At prime the castle stood on a rocky cliff with a surrounding moat and faced the sea; the structure is complete and intact with an open-air inner court.
Step inside
8 places to explore in 1250.
The record describes 8 distinct spots at Castello Ursino — including 4 interiors: salone d'armi (ground-floor hall), salone dei parlamenti (first-floor hall), torre delle bandiere (tower chamber) and more. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and walk through every one — more scenes means more photos, more angles and more rooms of the immersive experience.
Create History
See Castello Ursino with the fires lit.
The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1250 — a photoreal walk that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.
Recreate Castle to Explore →
