Castle

A place that embodies the political history of the city

The Castle stands at the highest point of the city, dominating the surrounding valleys. Its foundation is the result of a fortification process that began in 1093 with the construction of a crenellated tower. 

This probably corresponds to the much restored wedge-shaped spur that characterises the northern elevation of the fortress. In the Swabian period, a fortified camp was built in the area with the addition of more crenellated towers, around which the urban district of Borgonovo originated. However, it was only with the Angevins that the actual construction of the castle was achieved. The construction of a hexagonal tower to the west of the triangular spur and the main entry to the complex, located on the southern front, date back to this period. After the frequent restorations carried out by the Aragonese, who maintained and strengthened its defensive function, the building was affected by profound transformations when the city was enfeoffed to the Pignatelli family. 

The count, later duke, of Monteleone, Ettore, promoted a series of interventions starting in 1509 to make the castle the main noble residence in his Calabrian dominions. 

His successors at the helm of the duchy moved in the same direction, starting with Ettore II, who adapted the building to accommodate a culturally refined court, typified by the presence of important humanists, such as Minturno and his circle. Thus, during the sixteenth century, a second gate was built on the western wall between two towers, taking up a grandiloquent tradition on the example of Castel Nuovo in Naples. After being significantly damaged by the 1783 earthquake, the castle-palace was restored during the nineteenth century. After centuries of abandonment and a recent restoration, it houses one of the offices of the Superintendence of Archeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of Calabria and the Vito Capialbi National Archaeological Museum.