What to do and see in Calabria, Italy: The Best Castles

The Castle of Santa Severina is an imposing structure 10,000 square meters wide, which contains about a thousand years of history. Byzantines, Normans, Swabians, Angevins, Aragonese together with several important families, among all the dynasty of Andrea Carafa, had a fundamental role in the construction and in the different building stratification that characterizes the Castle. significant changes are due to the Sculco and, above all, to the Grutther who, having lost the need for defense, transformed the keep of the fortress into a noble residence by furnishing it with the precious decorations of Francesco Jordano. In the castle, in addition to the temporary exhibitions that are constantly being set up there, there is the Archaeological Museum, the Museum of weapons and armor, the exhibition of the historical Costume and an exhibition on medieval torture. Inside the Castle there is also the municipal Enoteca Valle del Neto with several important companies in our area.

The castle is situated on the top of a hill on which Rocca Imperiale’s residential centre is extended with its houses arranged in stando, al about 200 metres sea levei. The fortress that Frederick II of Swabia had built in 1225 in a place of great military and strategic importance to control the Ionian Coast (Via. Publica de Apulia). Frederick II (26 December 1194 – 13 December 1250) was a Holy Roman Emperor and King of Sicily in the Middle Ages, a member of theHouse of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous. However, his enemies, especially the popes, prevailed, and his dynasty collapsed soon after his death. Historians have searched for superlatives to describe him, as in the case of Donald Detwiler, who wrote: A man of extraordinary culture, energy, and ability – called by a contemporary chronicler stupor mundi (the wonder of the world), by Nietzsche the first European, and by many historians the first modern ruler – Frederick established in Sicily and southern Italy something very much like a modern, centrally governed kingdom with an efficient bureaucracy. Besides, the principal defensive purpose, Frederick united the task to give a home to the Court in their movements and in their hunting purposes of which the territory was suitable. At the construction of the castle there followed the development of a flourishing residential centre in which conducted the people to a series of fortified settlements that are present in the territory. After Frederick’s death, Rocca Imperiale was entrusted to the Knights of the Hierosolymite Order by Charles I of Anjou, that in 1271 stayed in the castle, was accepted by the inhabitants of Rocca Imperiale as a liberator. Charles of Anjou, was the King of Sicily by conquest from 1266,[1] though he had received it as a papal grant in 1262 and was expelled from the island in the aftermath of the Sicilian Vespers of 1282. Thereafter, he claimed the island, though his power was restricted to the peninsular possessions of the kingdom, with his capital at Naples (and for this he is usually titled King of Naples after 1282, as are his successors). Having ended the Anjou domination, in 1487, Alfonso II of Aragon strengthened Rocca Imperiale’s castle with the addition of a wall and creneillated towers. In the subsequent two centuries many were the large landowners that alternated in the government of the territoty, constantly mangled by barbaric raids. In 1664 the castle endured the attack of 4000 Saracen pirates that devastated Rocca lmperiale, destroying the ancient thirteenth century church of which today remains only the beautiful Romanesque bell - tower with mullioned windows and frames. In l7 l 7 the feud passes on to the Crivelli dukes to which they give the last significant alterations to the castle, with the addition of the top floor which followed beginning in 1835 a period of abandonment and devastation that reduced the castle to a pit of building material. This period of abandonment has now finally concluded thanks to the works of restoration, that are still in progress, strongly desired by the Municipal Administration.

Biglietto intero:€ 5,00 Ticket: € 5,00 Ridotto(18/25anni): € 2,00 Reduce ticket(18/25years): €2,00 Children free

THE DUCAL CASTLE OF CORIGLIANO CALABRO Built as a military fortress in 1073, the castle underwent a series of transformations through time. The princes Sanseverino, the dukes Saluzzo and the barons Compagna changed and enlarged the original structure to make it safe from attacks and adapt it to a noble residence. Between 1487 and 1495 it became a military base owned by the Royal Administration. In this period by royal command, as testified by the stone tablet on the main entrance, were built the four towers. They were probably built by Antonio Marchesi from Settignano, pupil of Francesco di Giorgio Martini, royal military architect in Naples, renown throughout European Courts. Between 1515 and 1516 count Bernardino Sanseverino promoted further enlargements and brand new constructions such as the towers, the residence, the defensive assets, the pond and the dungeons. Between 1650 and 1720 the dukes Saluzzo, the new owners, ordered the construction of the octagonal tower on the Mastio, the Chapel of Saint Augustine and completed the general coverings of the building. In 1828 the Manor was purchased by Giuseppe Compagna. His second son, Luigi commissioned to the Florentine painter Girolamo Varni the frescoes in the Chapel of St Augustine and in the Mastio tower. The hall of mirrors was beautifully decorated by Maestro Ignazio Perricci from Monopoli. In 1872 the great XIX c. Neapolitan painter Domenico Morelli painted the trittico 'Madonna of the Roses' with Saint Anthony the Abbott and Saint Augustine on each side. In 1971 Francesco Compagna sold, for a symbolic amount, the castle to the Archbishop of Rossano. In 1979, it was finally purchased by the municipality of Corigliano, between 1988 and 2003 massive restoration works interested the Manor Today the ducal castle of Corigliano is a one of a kind museum where you can visit: *The middle floor , where you can visit the dungeons, the XIX kitchen in pig iron and the Santa Barbara. *The noble floor where you will see the beautifully decorated rooms with original furniture . *The dining Room, richly set with old pottery and cutlery underneath a beautiful cast-iron chandelier. *The hall of mirrors owing its name to the big mirrors on the walls, framed by gilded stuccos and rich tapestry . The room is enriched by chandeliers in bohemian crystal and by the ceiling decorated with unbelievable trompe-l'oeil effects. *The tower Mastio , made up of five floors, four of which connected by a cast iron staircase, the vaults here are decorated by Girolamo Varni with scenes inspired by Ancient Rome and crusaders. The visit will take you back in time while walking through richly decorated rooms , recreating atmospheres gone for good. Administration of the Castle White Castle Associazione culturale Opening time. Every day Winter: 9:30-13:00/15:00-18:30 Summer: 10:00-13:00/16:30-20-30 Closed on Monday From July 1 to August 31 it's possible to book evening guided tours starting from 21:00 to 00:00 on Monday and Wednesday. The ducal castle offers the following services : Ticket point- guided tours - snack point - Conferences- shuttle service. It's also possible to reserve the interiors and external spaces of the castle for art exhibitions, weddings, events, photo shoots, TV shoots and film industry.