 On 1 January 1820 the Court of Catania founded the separate commune of Motta Sant'Anastasia.The Tower of Motta ("donjon" or "Keep" in English) was built between 1070 and 1074 by the will of the Count Roger of Hauteville.The massive tower with a rectangular plan, with a base of about , is about high and is a typical defensive structure of the early Middle Ages.