According to historians and geographers such as
Ptolemy,
Diodorus Siculus and
Strabo, Castellammare del Golfo was born as Emporium Segestanorum, port of
Segesta, a nearby city which shared the same ordeals until its fall. The
Arabs invaded Castellammare del Golfo from 827 AD and called it "Al Madarig", meaning "The Steps", probably because of a steep street leading up from the harbour to the area of the fortified bastion. After the Arabs first built the castle fortress, it was later enlarged by the
Normans. The building stood on a rocky outcrop near the sea, linked to the mainland by a wooden drawbridge.
Fishing has been important in Castellammare del Golfo since ancient times. The modern town's economy continues to be based on fishing with the addition of
tourism. The small town is noted for being the birthplace of many
Sicilian-American Mafia figures, including
Sebastiano DiGaetano,
Salvatore Maranzano,
Stefano Magaddino,
Vito Bonventre,
John Tartamella, and
Joseph Bonanno. This is the origin of the
Castellamarese war, fought by the
Masseria clan against the
Maranzano clan for control of the
Underworld in
New York City. During the height of Italian immigration to the
United States, many residents from Castellammare del Golfo immigrated to New York City and settled on
Elizabeth Street in
Little Italy,
Italian Harlem, and the
Bushwick,
Carroll Gardens and
East New York neighborhoods of
Brooklyn. After
World War II, many residents from Castellammare del Golfo continued to relocate to New York City, this time, settling in the
Gravesend,
Bensonhurst and
Dyker Heights neighborhoods of Brooklyn, as well as the
Ridgewood and
Middle Village neighborhoods of
Queens, the
Morris Park section of
the Bronx, and throughout the borough of
Staten Island. New York City is home to the largest diaspora of people either born in or able to trace their lineage back to Castellammare del Golfo. In the past decades, Castellammare del Golfo has become an important tourist location as it is conveniently situated between
Palermo and
Trapani. == Nearby places ==