Castello Maniace, Syracuse, Italy

The Castello Maniace is a citadel and castle situated at the far point of the Ortygia island promontory, It bears the name of George Maniakes, the Byzantine general who besieged and took the city in 1038. Originally, one could only enter the castle over a bridge spanning a moat (now filled). A feature of the castle is the decorated portal. Today the castle is open to public and is a local tourist attraction in Syracuse.

The first fort was built here in 1038 by George Maniakes, a Greek general and later the Catepan of Italy, after he captured Syracuse from the Arabs on behalf of the Emperor Michael IV. Frederick II, as King of Sicily, had his architect Riccardo da Lentini rebuild it in 1232–1240. King Peter III of Aragon resided here with his family in 1288. From 1305 to 1536 the castle was used as residence by numerous queens of Sicily.

In the 15th century it was used as a prison. In the following century it was included in the fortification defending the harbour and the city. A huge explosion damaged it in 1704, after which it was renovated and adapted to the use of guns.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Bunsky (7 months ago)
An amazing site and fantastic vistas but…once again why such a lack of maintenance and interest ? No real informations about the place and its history. You wander around but you don’t know which parts of history took place here. Such a shame…

Mica “Mink” Hogan (9 months ago)
Cool place to visit. Thank you Ms. Zara for the field trip! We had a great time and got lots of cool pics.

Caro Sch (9 months ago)
Very nice place with a very good exhibition. Problem is that the stuff is so unfriendly. I asked for a toilet and they sad that it's right around the corner but then it was closed for like 30 minutes. When you really need to go to toilette 30 minutes is a long time. And they were not saying sorry or anything, just screaming "toilet closed".but despite from the stuff this place is great

Jef Ver Berne (12 months ago)
Beautiful castle with a beautiful view of the sea. But almost no information about the place and vzry unfriendly staff. Not worth 7€...

Jean james (12 months ago)
7euros for nothing compare to the cathedral that cost 2euros it s a joke. I always visit castles wherever i go, this one ranks in the worst to visit as there is nothing to see. Nothing there is left, all rooms and area are empty. Only the main hall offer a nice piece of modern art with the entire floor being a smashed mirror. Not worth the walk to get there or the price

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Broch of Gurness

The Broch of Gurness is an Iron Age broch village. Settlement here began sometime between 500 and 200 BC. At the centre of the settlement is a stone tower or broch, which once probably reached a height of around 10 metres. Its interior is divided into sections by upright slabs. The tower features two skins of drystone walls, with stone-floored galleries in between. These are accessed by steps. Stone ledges suggest that there was once an upper storey with a timber floor. The roof would have been thatched, surrounded by a wall walk linked by stairs to the ground floor. The broch features two hearths and a subterranean stone cistern with steps leading down into it. It is thought to have some religious significance, relating to an Iron Age cult of the underground.

The remains of the central tower are up to 3.6 metres high, and the stone walls are up to 4.1 metres thick. The tower was likely inhabited by the principal family or clan of the area but also served as a last resort for the village in case of an attack.

The broch continued to be inhabited while it began to collapse and the original structures were altered. The cistern was filled in and the interior was repartitioned. The ruin visible today reflects this secondary phase of the broch's use.

The site is surrounded by three ditches cut out of the rock with stone ramparts, encircling an area of around 45 metres diameter. The remains of numerous small stone dwellings with small yards and sheds can be found between the inner ditch and the tower. These were built after the tower, but were a part of the settlement's initial conception. A 'main street' connects the outer entrance to the broch. The settlement is the best-preserved of all broch villages.

Pieces of a Roman amphora dating to before 60 AD were found here, lending weight to the record that a 'King of Orkney' submitted to Emperor Claudius at Colchester in 43 AD.

At some point after 100 AD the broch was abandoned and the ditches filled in. It is thought that settlement at the broch continued into the 5th century AD, the period known as Pictish times. By that time the broch was not used anymore and some of its stones were reused to build smaller dwellings on top of the earlier buildings. Until about the 8th century, the site was just a single farmstead.

In the 9th century, a Norse woman was buried at the site in a stone-lined grave with two bronze brooches and a sickle and knife made from iron. Other finds suggest that Norse men were buried here too.

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