Massafra Castle, Massafra, Italy - SpottingHistory.com

The Castle of Massafra is a medieval castle overlooking the Pizzo Ravine and San Marco. Its structure and architectural motifs are similar to other castles in Apulia, with four towers arranged in a wishbone and pattern and linked by boundary walls. The oldest towers are circular, while the keep is octagonal in the southeast.

The first definite record of the castle dates back to the year 970. In 1081, a diploma of the castle is owned by Richard Senescalco. With the domination of the Angevins, the castle took on the appearance of a fortress, with crenellated ramparts and towers. It underwent further transformations under the Aragonese, and in the 18th century the Imperial family rebuilt the octagonal tower and the front facing towards the ravine, designed by the architect Mauro Manieri Lecce. The castle was in the possession of many owners before eventually being purchased by the city.

The main entrance, via the rampart, is through a large gate from which you enter the atrium, with a central shaft and a ramp leading to the drawbridge, which are still visible the pulleys. A grand staircase leads to the rooms of the main house. Premises are kept for different uses: stables, barns, armory, prison (corresponding to the towers and the octagonal tower), warehouses, and neviere pecerie (where it is kept for the pitch torches). There was also a chapel dedicated to San Lorenzo. According to popular tradition, there are secret passages and a tunnel connecting the castle to the sea.

In recent years, several restorations were made to the structure. In 1965, the tower was repaired in the south-west, which had collapsed and in 1975 was that the railing collapsed. Around 2000, the east tower was consolidated and restructured the square in front of the Castle, whose works were co-directed the architect Francis Coratella. It has also built a modern elevator. The rooms of the castle are used as the headquarters of the library and the Civic Archaeological Museum of civilization and historical oil and wine.

References:

Wikipedia

Monte d'Accoddi

Monte d"Accoddi is a Neolithic archaeological site in northern Sardinia, located in the territory of Sassari. The site consists of a massive raised stone platform thought to have been an altar. It was constructed by the Ozieri culture or earlier, with the oldest parts dated to around 4,000–3,650 BC.

The site was discovered in 1954 in a field owned by the Segni family. No chambers or entrances to the mound have been found, leading to the presumption it was an altar, a temple or a step pyramid. It may have also served an observational function, as its square plan is coordinated with the cardinal points of the compass.

The initial Ozieri structure was abandoned or destroyed around 3000 BC, with traces of fire found in the archeological evidence. Around 2800 BC the remains of the original structure were completely covered with a layered mixture of earth and stone, and large blocks of limestone were then applied to establish a second platform, truncated by a step pyramid (36 m × 29 m, about 10 m in height), accessible by means of a second ramp, 42 m long, built over the older one. This second temple resembles contemporary Mesopotamian ziggurats, and is attributed to the Abealzu-Filigosa culture.

Archeological excavations from the chalcolithic Abealzu-Filigosa layers indicate the Monte d"Accoddi was used for animal sacrifice, with the remains of sheep, cattle, and swine recovered in near equal proportions. It is among the earliest known sacrificial sites in Western Europe.

The site appears to have been abandoned again around 1800 BC, at the onset of the Nuragic age.

The monument was partially reconstructed during the 1980s. It is open to the public and accessible by the old route of SS131 highway, near the hamlet of Ottava. It is 14,9 km from Sassari and 45 km from Alghero. There is no public transportation to the site. The opening times vary throughout the year.

Ivan Fritz (2 years ago)
The city is dirty, lot of trash, the buildings are in disrepair

Rizwan Ullah (4 years ago)
I very unique place to visit and the way to the top goes through it but sadly there is no way to go inside. The government havent taken proper care of it

Monica Bianchi (Killian) (4 years ago)
Bellisimo

Adrian Seah (4 years ago)
Historic castle overlooking the city but in a poor state of repair, not tourist friendly

Bissera Pilicheva (4 years ago)
Nice looking but closed on Sunday. Massafra in general is not very touristic but offers a sense of the genuine "dolce vita".

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