Travel Guide Altofonte

This small town of 9 000 inhabitants, situated about 350 kilometres from Palermo, dating back to the valley of Oreto (at m altitude), was in the time of the Normands the heart of the Hunting reserve of the kings of Sicily. As it was out of the question to sleep anywhere, they built a palace there from the th century. In the next century, the palace is offered to the Cistercian who make it the convent Sainte-Marie-d'Altofonte (high fountains, because the surrounding hills had many sources). Still there, the palace presents itself as a wise rectangle, dividing its rooms around an inner courtyard.