n one of the most beautiful stretches of the “Capo Rizzuto” Marine Protected Area stands one of the most fascinating castles in Italy, thanks also to its particular location that sees it triumph on an islet linked to the coast only by a thin strip of land. The fortress built in the fifteenth century. it never hosted the local nobility, but served as a shelter for soldiers fighting against the attacks of the invaders coming from the sea. The current stronghold rests on foundations dating back to the Magno-Greco period (400 BC), used over time also by the Romans, it was the refuge of Hannibal, in retreat. Even today it is possible to notice the different building phases superimposed on each other in different eras, Norman, Swabian, Byzantine, Angevin and Aragonese who raised powerful castle defenses modeled according to the times on the Greek walls. The fortress continuously attacked by the Turks, remained populated until the beginning of the 19th century, when the population moved to the mainland giving life to a small village of sailors, today the current tourist center.
