Castello Alfonsino (Sea Castle)
- Type
- Castles and fortifications
- Area
- Casale
- Time
- about 45 min
- When
- during the day
The Alfonsino Castle, or Sea Castle, occupies the island of Sant'Andrea at the harbour entrance. Its shape is irregular because it follows the outline of the rock, and collapses and rebuilding have made it even more varied.
It is really two fortresses joined together: the fifteenth-century Aragonese part and the sixteenth-century Forte a Mare, entered through a portal with coats of arms dated 1609. The two bastions, a round one facing land and a triangular one facing the open sea, date from the early sixteenth century. Inside, in a hall, is a washbasin with stone jambs from 1527.
The loveliest detail is the small inner harbour, reached through an arch in the walls. The island is joined to the shore by a breakwater that closes the Bocca di Puglia.
Nearby
- Molo CateneThe Molo Catene owes its name to a medieval defence system. In 1301, under Charles II of Anjou, two towers were built on either side of the…
- Monumento al Marinaio d'ItaliaThe Monumento al Marinaio d'Italia is the rudder, about 53 metres high, that you can see from all over the harbour.
- Crypt of the Monumento al MarinaioBeneath the great rudder of the Monumento al Marinaio lies a quiet place many visitors don't expect: the crypt-shrine.
- Porta RealePorta Reale stood here, the gate that closed the city off from the sea: the sea brought trade, but also the risk of invasion.