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The Norman Dongione
The castle of Motta, known as the "Dongione", was built by the Norman Grand
Count Roger I d'Altavilla around 1074 (sec. Xl). Roger I came to Sicily around
the time of the Arabic domination to a region of the Catanian hinterland, first
for offensive and afterward defensive purposes, comprising Adrano, Paterṇ and
Motta, the center of his chessboard.
The Norman Dongione of Motta S.A. built on the tallest part of the
cliff for its strategic position as the portal to the plain of Catania, had the
fundamental assignment of offensive base for the big and continuously
busy city of the Arabs, and of point of observation and alarm for the latent hostile infiltration of those that wanted to arrive at Troina where Roger had set his strategic command.
The geologic formation of the cliff, rocky cinder formed from a primeval volcano in the quaternary era (600.000 years ago),
provided a vast field of observation and the capability of Communication with the other castles, forewarning them of hostile assaults.
From the year of its construction and up to the last part of the XIII century, the Dongione was held by the bishops of Catania.
From 1266 until the end of the XIV century, information is unavailable as to the possession of the territory.
From the 1355 until 1374, even though the Dongione was not purely habitable, Henry the Red, count of Aidone, had his residence there.
In 1375 Ririaldo PeroIlo became the owner. In 1408 the territory of Motta was
possessed by Sancho Ruiz de Lihorj (the feudal lord), until it was bought by
king Alfonso d'Aragona, called the "generous".
Until the beginnings of the XV century, during the Aragonese era, the castle of
Motta was the center o the baronial intrigue struggles. During this time, Bernardo Cabrera became a promoter of the political separation of Sicily from the Aragonese reign, forming a party in the territory favorable to him. This was also the period of the vicarage of Bianca di Navarra, widow of Martin ("the young man"), who died prematurely. The desings of Bernard Cabrera was to take Bianca as his bride and form an autonomous state from the Aragonese.
Bianca refused his offers of love and for this reason she was persecuted by Cabrera until Sancho Ruiz (admiral of the kingdom) caught him and shut him in the castle of Motta. This all happened in 1413.
Afterward, in 1514, Aloisio Sanches bought the territory of Motta for 1210 onze,
and held it until the Antonio Moncada, count of Aderṇ, acquired the territory
by paying on May 7,1526 all together 6053 onze for the land of Motta, the castle
and the baronage. This territory remained the exclusive property of the
Moncada's until 1900.
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