Stilo Castle

Stilo, Italy

The Castle of Stilo was built by Norman king Roger I of Sicily upon Monte Consolino in the 11th century. In the 13th century, it was one of the seventeen castles in Calabria managed by Reale Curia during the reign of Charles I of Naples and it was also used as a prison. In that period, it was subjected to maintenance as written in folio 233 of 1281 of Regia Zecca Archive.

The castle is reachable by two main paths: from the panoramic and high slope path that start near Cattolica church, and following the Stilo's Via Crucis path composed by fourteen steps and three rest and panoramic area with benches, the second much larger and less sloped starts near Stilo Cemetery.

The Norman castle is said to be haunted by a ghostly drumming sound. It has been said that centuries ago, a drummer boy was sent through the castle cellar to follow a secret pass

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Details

Founded: 11th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in Italy

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Red S (15 months ago)
Was worth the climb?
Monika (5 years ago)
If you are fit enough to climb to the top do so.. the view is magnificent. Make sure you stop for a cooling granita on the down
Sandro A (5 years ago)
Breath-taking view
Ted Kemp (6 years ago)
It's a fairly tough walk of about an hour from near La Cattolica to reach this castle. The castle is impressive and atmospheric, semi-ruined but with enough enclosed spaces still surviving to give an idea of how it would have been in its prime. The setting and view is spectacular and one can imagine how the fortress would have been an important strategic location. It seemed as though some attempt had been made to renovate the site to encourage visitors, but then abandoned. In places the were what looked like relatively new benches, platforms and fencing. but information boards were blank and unfinished, and the gates to the castle were secured by a piece of wire! There are no staff on site. The final stretch of the path was poorly maintained and felt a little dangerous in places. Well worth a visit, the lack of care does at least mean that you will not find the place overcrowded with other visitors.
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