Castello Aragonese di Castro

Castro's Aragonese Castle occupies the highest part of the historic centre, overlooking the Adriatic. Its four-bastioned quadrilateral incorporates earlier remains and reflects the town's strategic role on the coast.

Why it matters

The castle records successive phases of Castro's defensive history. The municipal tourism portal traces the site to a classical layout on Messapic foundations and records its importance under the Angevins. After repeated raids in the late fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the Gattinara family rebuilt the fortress from 1575 with four bastions.

What to notice

The quadrangular plan has four corner towers of differing forms. A moat and drawbridge once protected the entrance; the bridge no longer survives. Restoration exposed large squared blocks attributed to the Messapic foundations. Outworks include the Porta Terra bastion and the southern tower known as Torre Catalano; the municipal portal attributes parts of these works to military architect Tiburzio Spannocchi.

Context and history

In 1780, Bishop Del Duca described the castle as ruinous and petitioned Ferdinand IV for repairs. During the Second World War, the castle served as a lookout, and parts of the southwest sector and the count's residential tower collapsed. The municipality later restored the surviving structure. The restored castle has housed a public library, conference room and the Antonio Lazzari Archaeological Museum.