Masseria Silvestri in Caltagirone
The Silvestri farm in Caltagirone, also known as the Granieri castle, is an imposing building located in Granieri, a hamlet of Caltagirone.
It was built in 1885 by Antonino Silvestri after having acquired a large part of the former feud. The construction was the first permanent settlement of the fief and was populated by peasants who worked on the large property of Silvestri. It has a rectangular plan with four turreted sides connected by a high wall that delimits it from the surrounding countryside. Along this boundary wall there are what were the lodgings for the peasant families, whose only access was facing the large central courtyard. The two-storey main building was occupied by the owners' houses and by a series of rooms on the ground floor intended for various activities connected with the farm's activities; in the basement a vast cellar in which an excellent wine was produced. Since the early years of the twentieth century at the farm, where about 40 families lived, the first services for the population began to be born: chapel for religious services, the rural school, the carabinieri station and a resale of basic necessities. The farm was also equipped with rooms for the processing and conservation of agricultural products. Until 1925 the farm was the only settlement before the construction of the village.
Today the Silvetri farm hosts events and exhibitions.
