Description of the attraction
Otranto Castle, also known as the Aragonese Castle, is located in the city of Otranto in the Italian region of Apulia. It was built in the second half of the 15th century by order of King Ferdinand II of Aragon to protect the city and the coast from Turkish invasion. Architects Ciro Chiri and Francesco di Giorgio Martini, geniuses of military engineering during the Renaissance, worked on the project of the castle-fortress. Previously, this site also housed a defensive structure, which was built by the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire Frederick II.
Castello di Otranto is built in the form of an irregular pentagon, at the corners of which there are three round towers - Torre Alfonsina, Torre Ippolita and Torre Duquesca. Fortified by ramparts, they were erected by order of King Alfonso II of Naples. The fourth corner, facing the sea, is crowned with a thick pointed end. In 1647, work was carried out in the castle to strengthen its walls, as a result of which the Torre Maestra, the Main Tower, was also restored. The castle is surrounded by a moat along the perimeter, through which in the past a drawbridge was thrown, which served as the only entrance inside. Above the entrance portal you can see the emblem of King Charles V. It is interesting that at the end of the 19th century, the moat was partially covered with earth to facilitate access to the castle, but in our time, at the end of the 20th century, it was restored to its original form.
This castle gained worldwide fame after it became the setting in the Gothic novel by Horatio Walpole "Castle of Otranto".
