The 7 most beautiful medieval castles in Italy in a personal ranking on the treasures of our beautiful country. In Italy, culture has a respectable place and foreigners often come to fill their eyes with beauty, why don't we do it more often too?
THEItaly it is a beautiful country. It is not only us Italians who say it, but it is mostly foreigners who make us realize the luck we have living in this Beautiful country. In Italy there are many cultural riches, there is only the embarrassment of choice and among these, of course, there is no shortage of medieval castles. There are many, all very beautiful, with peculiarities and unique stories and in this post I thought I'd focus on my personal top 7.
Each of us, in our own city, certainly has a favorite monument, a church and maybe a castle who would like to advise you to see. I have allowed myself to think for you too and to come to your cities to find, in some of them, a medieval symbol of a tale or in any case a place that even in the Middle Ages made its city and the people who lived there great. Let's go!
1. Naples, Castel dell'Ovo
Il Castel dell'Ovo of Naples takes its name from a legend, that of the egg. The legend dates back to around 300 BC. According to the story, an iron cage containing a jug full of water and with an egg inside would have been hung by the poet Virgil from an oak beam in the basement of the castle. That egg, according to legend, would rule the fate not only of the castle, but of the whole city of Naples.
2. Lake Garda, Scaligero Castle
The Scaligero Castle, located on Lake Garda, is located at the end of the long spit of land. An arm of water divides the mainland to an island defended by the Scaligero Castle. A fascinating show seen live. The exact date of construction of the castle is not known which, due to its strategic position, was a military castle, in defense of the Scaligeri domains towards Mantua and Milan.
3. Castel del Monte, Andria
A castle that for its shapes is said to be perfect. Built on a rocky bank it has an octagonal shape that fascinates all visitors. Eight towers are grafted onto each of the eight corners and eight single-light windows open on the lower floor, seven mullioned windows and a single three-light window, facing Andria, in the upper one. In this castle, cultural and architectural elements come from Northern Europe, the Muslim world and classical antiquity.
4. Castel Sant'Angelo, Rome
A castle built in 123 AD as a sepulcher for the emperor Hadrian and his family. Castel Sant'Angelo from a funerary monument becomes a fortified outpost and prison to a splendid Renaissance residence that sees Michelangelo active within its walls, and finally from a Risorgimento prison to a museum. A castle among the most beautiful in Rome, absolutely and absolutely among the most beautiful in Italy.
5. Rocca Calascio, L'Aquila
Rocca Calascio is a fortress that is located in Abruzzo, in the province of L'Aquila about 1460 meters above the sea level, just above the town. Included in Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park, Rocca Calascio is known for the presence of the castle, which is one of the highest castles in Italy, and the ancient medieval village below, considered by all to be one of the symbols of Abruzzo.
6. Sforzesco Castle, Milan
In Milan, in the historic center, there is another beautiful castle: the Castello Sforzesco, among the best maintained facilities across the country. The castle has a square plan with four towers placed on the corners. The castle had a purely defensive function. Today the castle is home to civic museums and since the end of the nineteenth century it has housed one of the largest artistic collections in Milan
7. Estense Castle, Ferrara
The symbol of Ferrara, the Estense Castle with its four towers and surrounded by a large moat with its red terracotta bricks is truly elegant. Built in 1385 to defend itself from a dangerous popular revolt, the fortress recalls the Castle of San Giorgio in Mantua. Note, during a visit, its elegant white balustrades, prisons and halls for games and court enjoyment.
Among the seven castles I have named, you are spoiled for choice. Some, due to proximity, could be reached within a day, for others it could take a weekend, I have no doubts about one thing: all the castles would have an unmistakable charm, such as to make the day spent strolling unique.
Here is the list, certainly incomplete but with the first seven castles that came to my mind and that I think is worth visiting to get an idea of medieval jewelry most beautiful that we have in our Italy. And you, which of these ten have you visited or which are the castles that I forgot to include in the list for you?
