Casteldoria Castle, Santa Maria Coghinas, Italy

Casteldoria Castle was built around the 12th century by the Genoese Doria family, and passed from the Genoese dominion to the Aragonese, then to the Arborea Giudicato and lastly to the Malaspina family.

Only a few ruins remain of the fortress: parts of the walls, the remains of a chapel and a large cistern that was probably used to collect and store water. The famous tower, on the other hand, is well-preserved, and is an important part of the castle, built in large, rectangular granite blocks set in mortar. Twenty metres high, it has a pentagonal layout with the entrance on the north-eastern side. On the same side are two large, non-aligned openings, and a large window on the opposite side on the first floor. Inside, the castle has three wooden floors with a tiled roof and walkway. The last floor was created from what was originally a mezzanine floor before a terrace.

References:

Sardegna Turismo

User Reviews

Alek Hojnik (14 months ago)
A nice five sided castle/tower in the middle of the forest. It gazes with pride toward the sky and makes you envision the people living there. It has 5 levels, but as it is in renovation, you can't enter. Still, the place offers some great views towards the coast and the small lake below. The road and the parking are well maintained. The path is a bit step, recommend sneakers or other shoes with firm grip as the grawel gets slippery.

Barnabas Hamerlik (20 months ago)
Wonderful view and panorama of the surrounding nature from the tower. Worth climbing up the steep ladders.

Timothy Black (2 years ago)
Abandoned castle on a neat ridge. About a 15 minute hike up a gravel road. Nothing much around except the tower, and it doesn't seem to be a popular place for tourist, which is nice if you like getting of the beaten path.

Marco Galbiati Stella (2 years ago)
Spectacular views above a beautiful, wild canyon (only sad thing, a horrible hotel built right at the beginning of the canyon. An eyesore, happily not visible anymore once you're in the canyon, nor from the tower)

Huib (4 years ago)
Nice for quick stop

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In 1813 Navarrese guerrilla fighter Espoz y Mina during the Napoleonic French Invasion burned the palace with the aim to French could not make forts in it, which almost brought in ruin. It is since 1937 when architects José and Javier Yarnoz Larrosa began the rehabilitation (except the non-damaged church) for the castle palace, giving it back its original appearance and see today. The restoration work was completed in 1967 and was paid by the Foral Government of Navarre.

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