| The castle of Otranto was built between 1485 and 1498 on the orders of Ferdinando I d'Aragona to defend the city and its port. Only a few years earlier Otranto had been laid siege to and conquered by the Turks; an event which had resounded throughout the Europe of that time. The building was gradually modified throughout the course of the 16th century, until it took on the appearance it has today. The fortress has an irregular pentagonal shape and has three circular towers at its corners; the fourth corner is an imposing rampart in the shape of a spear that protrudes out to sea. From the large open space at the top of this you could sight ships arriving, even those at a great distance. Again on the side facing seawards you can look out over large sections of the moat which encircled the whole building. The entrance is on the north side, it stands out with a door with the coat of arms of Charles V. The inner courtyard is a large rectangular space where there is a cistern and there was a freshwater well in the South-East tower. An open stairway, on the side opposite the entrance, leads to the upstairs rooms. The first ever Gothic novel was set in the castle of Otranto. The author, Horace Walpole, had never actually visited Otranto and his castle and the scenes around it were all imaginary.
The castle is part of the old town of Otranto, Cultural Heritage by UNESCO |