Troina has always been a military fortress due to its strategic position, it served that purpose throughout history for the Greeks, the Romans, the Byzantines and the Arabs. The first inhabited centre dates from the 4th century BC. During the Norman period, in 1060, it was chosen by Roger of Sicily as his seat of power. He took over the Saracen’s Castle, built new churches and convents, and made Troina the first capital of Sicily. Built into some sections of the Hellenistic city walls, the Castle of Troina dominated the underlying valley from the rocky plateau of Mount Troina. The Cathedral and fine Norman tower are dedicated to Maria Santissima Assunta and was Sicily’s first bishop’s seat. The Oratory of SS. Sacramento replaces the crypt and transept of the cathedral. The defensive needs and the military importance of the town ceased and by 1409 only the great Torre Capitania remained, it now hosts the Civic Art Gallery: the most outstanding artwork kept here is the Portrait of Paul III Farnese by Titian, the only work by the artist that can be found south of Naples. Passing under the bell tower, a small road leads to a district that still retains its medieval layout and whose name, Scalforio, derived from Arabic, means ‘outside the walls’ and marks the end of the fortified castle town.