Investigation work Preliminary activities about the Norman castles
Pre-reading: reading: answer the following questions Is there a castle near where you live?...... Have you ever visited one?...... What makes a castle particularly interesting today?...... What materials were generally used to build a castle?...... Why do you think people in the past built castles?......
Read the text and check your last answers The Normans built castles everywhere in their territories. The first castles were made of wood and were built very quickly. Later castles were built of stone and sometimes it took years to build them. Kings and nobles built castles to protect themselves against enemies such as foreign invaders, other nobles or even rebellious peasants. After guns were invented in the 14th century, castles could be easily damaged, so they became less useful.
Comprehension: read the text again and look carefully at the picture, write T (true) or F (false) next to each sentences 1. Kings and nobles built castles to protect themselves 2. Castles became more useful after guns were invented 3. The dungeon and the well were at the bottom of the castle 4. The kitchen was the only room with a fireplace in it 5. The guardroom and the kitchen wereon the same place 6. There was only one staircase and it was built in the central part of the castle 7. In the great hall the Lord gave his banquets 8. Many guests sat on benches 9. The Lord and his family sat on benches too 10. In the great hall there was a gallery for the ministrels to play and sing 11. The jester could not enter the great hall 12. The Lord and his family could pray in the private chapel 13. The walls inside were decorated with tapestries and coats of arms
Writing: referring to the picture write some sentences to describe the activities done inside and outside the castle For examples: The guards watched the countryside from the top of the castle. The knights trained their hawks in the field outside the castle..................................
Vocabulary: match with numbers the English words with the translation in your language Italian English Danish Galleria dungeon galleri Suonare well baenke Prigione fireplace banquet Sala delle guardie guardroom fangekaelder Cappella staircase ildsted Scala banquets brond Buffone di corte benches vagtrum Pozzo gallery trappe Panche minstrels spil Stemmi play spogefugl Camino jester kapel Banchetti chapel brystvaern Arazzi tapestries vaben Menestrelli coats of arms rundbue med spids Fortezza battlements fort faestning Bifore pointed arch borgtarn Dongione mullioned window billedtaepper Merli donjon stor hall Archi a sesto acuto fortress vinduespost skydeskar
Examining some of the most important Norman castles in Sicily and their historical sites. The Norman Castle of Motta Put a tick on the right answer What kind of building is that of Motta? - a residential castle - a donjon (defensive tower) Look at the picture above Label the number of floors that you can see and where the battlements are.
Answer the following questions When was the donjon built? And who built it?...... 2) What was its main function?...... 3) What s the meaning of the word Motte?...... 4) Are all the windows similar?......
Use your own words to... 1) Describe the building materials used in the construction of the tower....... 2) Explain the function of the well on the ground floor, considered that tower was the last line of defence when the town was attacked....... 3) Write what kind of stairs were once used to link the three floors and explain why....... 4) Go to the upper floor and look out of the window, you should now be able to tell why the donjon site was chosen.......
Make a sketch of the tower representing the legend of Bernardo Cabrera hanging by a rope from the window.
The Norman castle of Adrano Look at the picture below 1) How many floors can you count? 1) Can you notice any differences with the donjon of Motta?
Fill in This castle is...in shape. It stands on a solid... stone base, reinforced at the.... Each side of the tower is... m. wide. Each side of the bastion is m. wide. The tower is m. high. It was built for the same purpose as the tower of..., to... the plain and the town of.... Its walls are made of... as all the other... of the area.
Answer the following questions 1) Where do you think the building materials come from? 2) Entering the ground floor what can you notice at the sides of the stairways? 3) Look carefully at the two doors connecting the two great halls, what is their style? 4) What are they made of?
Observe and draw 1) Look at the windows and draw their different shapes. 2) Sketch one of the two pointed arch doors.
3) See if you can find the chapel on the second floor and sketch some of its features as your evidence. 4) What is there in the adjoining room?
The Norman castle of Paternò Look at the picture below 1) Can you say where the castle of Paternò stands on? How high do you think it is?
True/false activity Correct the false ones 1) The castle was built by Roger de Hauteville in 1072 over a pre-existing Greek building. 2) It was meant to protect the plain of Catania together with the other castles of the area. 2) During the centuries the castle was used as a prison. 3) The castle is not in good condition.
Fill in activity The castle of Paternò has a peculiarity: the and the corners are made of white... stone. The contrast between the two colours, black (of the... stone) and...... (of the calcareous.....), creates a special effect. The castle has... floors; on the ground floor there is a....., surmounted by a... arch of... origin. There is also a chapel with a... apse and some...... representing some... subjects, such as...
Answer these questions 1) Whose residence was it? 2) How is the first floor divided? 3) How is the great hall illuminated? 4) What s the difference between the two mullioned windows on the second floor?
Acicastello and its castle Look at the picture below 1) Where does the castle stand on?
Put a tick on the right answer Multiple choice 1) Acicastello is a small fishing village an agricoltural town 2) It is on the Mediterranean Sea on the Ionian Sea 3) The castle stands on a spur of lava rock, above the sea a hill 4) Thanks to its strategic position it was a fortified constuction since the Arabs Roman times 5) It was conquered by the Normans after their victory over the Arabs the Romans
Correct the false sentences True / False 1) It is no longer possible to admire the original structure of the castle T / F 2) There was a terrible hearthquake in 1169 T / F 3) It destroyed large part of the castle T / F 4) During the centuries the fortress was used for different purposes, even as a prison T / F
Answer the following questions 1) What can you still admire of the original structure? 2) Are the pointed arches of Norman origins? 3) What can you enjoy from the castle terrace? 4) What legend is linked to the Faraglioni?
5) Is there another legend linked to this area? 6) Are there other towns whose names start with Aci? Why?
Draw either the castle or the Faraglioni or try to represent the legend that striked you most
Catania and the Ursino castle
Look at the picture above and complete the sentences This castle was part of a line of fortifications, together with the contemporary castles of...,... and.... It is a good example of geometric shapes: it has a... plan with... great circular towers at each corner and four... turrets along each side.
True / False about some historic news of Catania Correct the false ones 1) Catania is the largest city in Sicily T / F 2) Katane was the old name of the city T / F 3) The first settlement was founded by the Romans in 729 BC T / F
4) After the Roman Empire declined, there was the Byzantines conquest T / F 5) The Normans conquered the town, after the defeat of the Arabs T / F 6) Frederick II built the Ursino castle in order to have a complete control of the town and the surrounded territory T / F 7) The XVI century was particularly catastrophic for Catania T / F
Fill in In 1669 there was a great... of Etna and some decades later a terrible... destroyed most of the town of Catania. It was rebuilt and the new baroque buildings almost covered the old Greek and Roman.... The name Ursino comes from the... Castrum sinus which means...... because originally it stood close to the... and it was surrounded by a moat. After the... of 1669, the... filled the moat and moved the coastline hundreds of... away from the.... The original ground level was considerably lower than today s.
Multiple choice ce activity Put a tick on the right answer 1. Frederick II ordered the construction Of the Ursino castle on a spur of lava rock on a high land surrounded by the sea. 2. The entrance is through a pointed arh a normal door 3. On the arch there is a hawk grasping a mouse an eagle grasping a hare 4. Today the castle is the seat of the civic museum a library
Detective work (Palatine Chapel) Examining a historical site
What are your first impressions on entering the building? When was consecrated to saint peter? How many apses has it got? What kind of ceiling can you see over the nave? What do the mosaics represent? What can you see in the dome? What can you see close to the pulpit? What is the atmosphere/feeling of this area? At the end of your visit you will be asked to stand somewhere, in the nave, pulpit or under an apse. Make sure you are on your own. Close you eyes for a couple of minutes. Think about the atmosphere of the building which has been built in 1132. Write down your feelings/thoughts about this place of worship.