Rapallo Castle, Rapallo, Italy - SpottingHistory.com

Rapallo castle was erected in 1551 to counter the frequent pirate attacks. It includes a small chapel dedicated to St. Cajetan, built in 1688. Used for a long time as a prison it was restored and is now a prestigious venue for exhibitions and conferences.

References:

Rapallo Comune

Castles and fortifications in Italy

User Reviews

Paul (12 months ago)
Nice place to visit, very touching surroundings. Surface nearby is suitable for roller-skating with kids.

lesley hughes (14 months ago)
No access to it following storm in Oct 2018. Fabulous views. Small public beach next to it.. Opposite there's a small ice cream bar

Henrique Rocha (15 months ago)
Didn't go inside because the area around it hasconstruction work going on. It's also nice to just see it from outside. The beach next to it was super crowded.

Evie W (15 months ago)
It’s called a castle but in fact it looks more like a fortress by the ocean. Can take a good photo here during the sunset.

David Kidd (15 months ago)
Stopped in Rapallo for lunch and spotted the castle down at the harbour. It looks like it was used in the past to guard the harbour but we went no closer than the picture shows. Still picturesque enough.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Makser

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Derbent Fortress

Derbent is the southernmost city in Russia, occupying the narrow gateway between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains connecting the Eurasian steppes to the north and the Iranian Plateau to the south. Derbent claims to be the oldest city in Russia with historical documentation dating to the 8th century BCE. Due to its strategic location, over the course of history, the city changed ownership many times, particularly among the Persian, Arab, Mongol, Timurid, Shirvan and Iranian kingdoms.

Derbent has archaeological structures over 5,000 years old. As a result of this geographic peculiarity, the city developed between two walls, stretching from the mountains to the sea. These fortifications were continuously employed for a millennium and a half, longer than any other extant fortress in the world.

A traditionally and historically Iranian city, the first intensive settlement in the Derbent area dates from the 8th century BC. The site was intermittently controlled by the Persian monarchs, starting from the 6th century BC. Until the 4th century AD, it was part of Caucasian Albania which was a satrap of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. In the 5th century Derbent functioned as a border fortress and the seat of Sassanid Persians. Because of its strategic position on the northern branch of the Silk Route, the fortress was contested by the Khazars in the course of the Khazar-Arab Wars. In 654, Derbent was captured by the Arabs.

The Sassanid fortress does not exist any more, as the famous Derbent fortress as it stands today was built from the 12th century onward. Derbent became a strong military outpost and harbour of the Sassanid empire. During the 5th and 6th centuries, Derbent also became an important center for spreading the Christian faith in the Caucasus.

The site continued to be of great strategic importance until the 19th century. Today the fortifications consist of two parallel defence walls and Naryn-Kala Citadel. The walls are 3.6km long, stretching from the sea up to the mountains. They were built from stone and had 73 defence towers. 9 out of the 14 original gates remain.

In Naryn-Kala Citadel most of the old buildings, including a palace and a church, are now in ruins. It also holds baths and one of the oldest mosques in the former USSR.

In 2003, UNESCO included the old part of Derbent with traditional buildings in the World Heritage List.

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