Castello Nelson

Maniace, Italy

Admiral Horatio Nelson received the estate of nine million hectares together with the title of Duke of Bronte as a gift from the Bourbon King of the Two Sicilies after he helped the king to escape certain death during the revolution of Naples in 1796. Nelson himself never lived on the property but his descendants the Hood-Bridgeport’s took possession of the dukedom until the final heir sold it to the city of Bronte in 1981.

Originally the castle was a fortified monastery and remained in the Nelson family until the 1980s. There is a wonderful little English garden behind the castle, the rooms feature tiled pavements from Caltagirone and the original furniture, books and paintings of Nelson's niece. The entrance fee is low and there are guided tours.

Castles and fortifications in Italy

Address

Corso Giorgio Maniace 1, Maniace, Italy

See all sites in Maniace

Details

Founded: 18th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in Italy

Rating

3.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

giuseppe severini (2 years ago)
It is a place full of charm, surrounded by nature. the sculptures of the Romanesque portal are very original. The whole structure is admirable. a rare testimony of advanced Romanesque in Sicily

mario migneco (3 years ago)
beautiful

Maurizio Bonaccio (3 years ago)
Not for the place that I think is beautiful only because it has been under restoration since 2016 and is poorly reported. At the moment, like all Italian stories, it is not known when it will reopen. Poor Italy

Enrico Zappala' (3 years ago)
Wonderful place of peace, full of history. Closed for years for works from the mysterious biblical times. I am a regular visitor to the place. I will modify my review by giving 5 stars and adding photos when it reopens.

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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.