Italy is a wonderful country. From north to south it is steeped in beauty, history and culture. Whether this is a gift from mother nature, such as the splendid coasts or the majestic mountains, or whether this is the work of man, does not change the substance, which makes Italy an indescribable and unique country. We could describe for centuries the beauties of every single region, of every single village and in any case not even remotely approach reality. The testimony of the greatness of our country is also, and above all in Calabria. The Calabrian coasts with its strongholds and its castles. One above all marks, as if it were intended by fate, a clear boundary, both physical and temporal, we are talking about Murat Castle of Pizzo Calabro.

The castle of Pizzo Calabro

If Calabria could speak to tell what it is, and what it was, it would leave everyone speechless. This land bears the story of a strong Italy, built with sweat and sacrifice, where nothing was simple but had to be conquered and earned.

entrance to the Castle of Pizzo Calabro
"_DSC0302" by fromigoromazzoleni is under-licensed CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 

To the sound of fights and violent clashes. This fortification dates back to the end of the 1300s and was placed as a bulwark of defense of the southern coasts of Calabria. Later, about a hundred years later, it was 1480, Ferdinando D'Aragona who went to Calabria to face an attack aimed precisely at overthrowing his kingdom, commanded its restructuring and expansion. Once he managed to stem the "riot" organized by the feudal lords, Federico decided to have new parts of the castle built, and at the same time he ordered the construction of other fortresses, including that of Crotone, Cariati, Corigliano and Belvedere.

The location of the castle

As previously mentioned, this castle almost marks physical and temporal boundaries, both due to its geographical position, literally close to the sea, and due to the fact that the end of the fortification works of the castle are dated (according to unofficial sources, however) to 1492, the year of the discovery of America and the year that is ideally indicated as the end of the Middle Ages. Other more reliable sources report the completion date and place it in 1485.

The interior of the Castle of Pizzo Calabro

A thrilling dive into the past. Exploring the inside of the fortress it will be possible to visit the rooms, cells and areas used as dormitories for the soldiers. And also some reliquaries preserve reconstructions of the ancient uniforms of soldiers, weapons, cannons and armor.

Pizzo Calabro Castle - cover of the book by Joachim Murat
Photo from the book by Joachim Murat written by the historian Vincenzo Villella

Inside it is also possible to view an extremely interesting collection of ancient coins. Visiting the castle is almost a must if you go to Pizzo Calabro. Fortunately, the cost of the entrance ticket is very low, and the visit is worth much more than the ticket price. We assure you that the castle is as impressive on the outside as it is on the inside.

Lace

Pizzo, known by all as Pizzo Calabro, a coastal village located in the province of Vibo Valentia within the Gulf of Sant'Eufemia which has just 9300 inhabitants. It boasts truly beautiful coasts, long endless beaches of fine sand. Those who go to Calabria return home remembering the good food, the cheerfulness of the Calabrians and the color of the coasts.

History and mysteries of the Murat Castle of Pizzo Calabro last edit: 2019-12-16T16:50:00+01:00 da Fat Dahlia

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