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One of the main areas designated for study -by MEMOLA project-, is located on the northwestern region of Sicily and comprises the municipalities of Valderice, Custonaci, San Vito lo Capo, Buseto Palizzolo, Castellammare del Golfo, Alcamo, Vita, Salemi and Calatafimi Segesta.

The northern side of this region is characterized by its massive calcareous reliefs (1110 meters from Monte Sparagio and 1064 meters from Monte Inici), which are irregularly distributed, -emerging abruptly from the sea with their vertical walls.

The archaeological excavation at the Montagnon Castle is part of the projects IRAAHL and MEMOLA as a study case of a medieval fortified settlement turned into a rural residential site.

The survey area has been identified thanks to the integration of written sources, that attest the presence of a castle from the first half of the eleventh century, with the remote sensing, where the LiDAR images were in fact valuable to identify the main structures the castle, as the outer wall and the moat, preserved in close-up but covered by dense vegetation.

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