Roccella Ionica Castle, Roccella Ionica, Italy

The Roccella Ionica Castle sits on a rocky promontory at 104 meters, overlooking the village. Founded during the Norman period by Gualtieri De Collepietro, it later passed to the Ruffo family, then to Galeotto Baldaxi, and finally to the Carafa della Spina family, who restored it between 1479 and 1806. The fortress withstood attacks, including from Turkish corsair Dragut Pasha in 1553. The palace features ruins, including a stone portal with the Carafa crest, a monumental balcony with carved figures, and a courtyard with a star-shaped drainage system. Next to the castle is the Baroque-style Mother Church of St. Nicholas, once connected to the palace by a private choir. The church houses valuable polychrome marble altars, now national monuments.

User Reviews

Jean Chessex (15 months ago)
Beautiful ruined tower on top of a hill by the sea. Metal stairs built in the 2000s lead to the top and offer a magnificent view of the Ionian Sea and the castle slightly below. A little extra for the labyrinth dug into the rock of the hill during the Second World War, accessible at the foot of the stairs. It then served as anti-aircraft defense.

Leon Kidd (16 months ago)
Beautiful spot and view, currently closed for renovations, but good lookout at the tower on the adjacent hill. We asked the council when it will open, say it should be open around May after works are completed

Alerialand (2 years ago)
Lindo, a vista vale a pena, mas o castelo e a torre estão abandonados.

Pietro Giuliani (3 years ago)
Beautiful Tower of Pizzofalcone, located at the top of the Roccella Jonica hill, from there you can see a beautiful panorama, to get there you have to make a nice climb on foot complete with iron stairs that cause a bit of anxiety.

Ian Toone (6 years ago)
Outstanding spot. Only open on the weekend to get into the main part. Nice bar near the gates. We went up the metal stairs to the oldest tower and went inside the base which is always open.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Infomastern

Historic Site of the week

Visby Cathedral

Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.

Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.

There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.

Roccella Ionica Castle

Address

Details

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Visby Cathedral