Castello Aragonese

Castel Sant'Angelo in Taranto, also known as the Aragonese Castle, occupies the southern tip of the old island where the city's two seas meet.

Why it matters

The fortress preserves layers of Taranto's history, from Greek and Byzantine defences to the Aragonese artillery works that reshaped the site in the late fifteenth century. Its later use by the Italian Navy adds a modern institutional chapter.

What to notice

The castle's low, thick walls and rounded towers reflect the shift to artillery-based fortification. Archaeological remains beneath and within the complex include earlier Greek and Byzantine phases, while a Renaissance chapel and later military rooms preserve traces of changing use.

Context and history

Ferdinand I of Aragon ordered the castle rebuilt between 1487 and 1492 after the Ottoman capture of Otranto. The project is associated with the Sienese engineer Francesco di Giorgio Martini. The fortress passed through Spanish, Habsburg and Bourbon control, served as a prison and barracks, and was transferred to the Italian Navy in 1883. Restoration and archaeological investigation since 2003 have revealed earlier fabric beneath later alterations.