Caltavuturo Castle, Caltavuturo, Italy

Caltavuturo Castle clings to the top of the hill called Terravecchia, overlooking the modern small town to the north. It was originally the city's medieval core, completely abandoned for a different site (that of the modern town) only in modern times. The origins date from the Arab period.

Some massive parts of the walls remain, being a curtain wall of quadrangular plan and another semi-cylindrical tower to protect the access on the north side.

User Reviews

Giovanni D'Alpa (6 months ago)
Caltavuturo is a very small village located about 650 meters high, but very characteristic. The castle is located on a hill from where you can admire a truly fantastic almost breathtaking landscape to visit in spring or summer in winter given the height and proximity to the highest peaks of the Madonie (among other things, snow-capped) very clean but cold air. But very special for us Sicilians not very used to these views.

vicchio vittorio (11 months ago)
A nice climb ... but an exceptional panorama

Michele Pecoraro (3 years ago)
A nice and well organized place

Domenico Granata (3 years ago)
On the vertiginous rock of Terravecchia there are the remains of the castle of Caltavuturo. With a square shape of 25 m, the small castle dominated the entire inhabited area of Terravecchia. It is possible to reach the castle only through a pedestrian path.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright CucombreLibre

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Gruyères Castle

The Castle of Gruyères is one of the most famous in Switzerland. It was built between 1270 and 1282, following the typical square plan of the fortifications in Savoy. It was the property of the Counts of Gruyères until the bankruptcy of the Count Michel in 1554. His creditors the cantons of Fribourg and Bern shared his earldom. From 1555 to 1798 the castle became residence to the bailiffs and then to the prefects sent by Fribourg.

In 1849 the castle was sold to the Bovy and Balland families, who used the castle as their summer residency and restored it. The castle was then bought back by the canton of Fribourg in 1938, made into a museum and opened to the public. Since 1993, a foundation ensures the conservation as well as the highlighting of the building and the art collection.

The castle is the home of three capes of the Order of the Golden Fleece. They were part of the war booty captured by the Swiss Confederates (which included troops from Gruyères) at the Battle of Morat against Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy in 1476. As Charles the Bold was celebrating the anniversary of his father's death, one of the capes is a black velvet sacerdotal vestment with Philip the Good's emblem sewn into it.

A collection of landscapes by 19th century artists Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Barthélemy Menn and others are on display in the castle.

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