Gallipoli Castle (Italy)

Gallipoli Castle is totally surrounded by the sea and serves as a defensive city stronghold

Located to the east of the "beautiful city", it has the peculiarity of being visible from the entrance of the peninsula that encloses the ancient village of the city, at the mouth of the seventeenth-century bridge, formerly levato, connecting the isthmus to the land. In the past, the fortified structure was probably separated from the surrounding area.

Touched by the sea on all its sides, today it has a quadrangular shape surrounded by four towers in the corners and a fifth, the "Rivellino", detached from the perimeter and isolated in the waters.

The castle of Gallipoli dates back to the 13th-14th centuries, but already in Roman times the city was equipped with a fortress and a bastion then expanded by Byzantines and Normans. The Angevins and the Aragonians modified the structure of the fort, but significant interventions were carried out by Francesco di Giorgio Martini. In the nineteenth century the moat was filled, and the arches supporting the drawbridge were buried.

The fort develops on a square square plant at the tops of four towers. Crowned by merlons, the Vedetta canopy is polygonal. The other towers are covered by a marquetry cord and are decorated with bows. The eastern curtain, the Rivellino, is a fifth circular tower, detached from the wall and not yet restored. Inside there are large rooms with barrel vaults and cruises.