Battipaglia Castle is an impressive and beautiful Norman castle, in southwestern Italy. The castle is dominated by its wooded hill above the eponymous Italian city, which is in the province of Salerno, Campania region.
Officially the city existsted by decree on March 28th, 1929, but the area was already selected by Borbуn for its agricultural colony. Castle Battipaglia is located about 75 miles south of Naples in the area known as Piana del Sele. Battipaglia stands west of the Tusciano River and the beach is just at hand.
The village of Battipaglia is famous for its Mozzarella cheese (Mozzarella di Bufala) which has a very crisp and fresh taste, made locally in the few dairies of the area. Battipaglia offers its visitors exceptional conditions for cultural and historical tourism.
The biggest attraction is the medieval castle town of Battipaglia which overlooks the entire city from its highest hill. Furthermore Battipaglia Castle has many more archaeological sites that are worth visiting.
This castle, which locals know as Castelluccio, possesses the typical Norman architecture. It is believed that the fortress was erected on this spot in the 12th century. Its location is not chosen arbitrarily, but it is most convenient for the protection of the population - not only from enemy attacks, but also from the rising Tuschiano river. Today, within the castle you can see the many beautiful murals that have been preserved.
Besides the castle near Battipagnia you can see several other archaeological sites. It was here that over a hundred tombs were discovered, which date from the seventh to the sixth century BC.
There are several other ancient tombs and a Roman villa, which are now buried in ruins and known there under the name of San Giovanni. In this region coins were found minted around 211 BC.
References:Towering 52 meters above the sea, Bengtskär lighthouse is the tallest one in Scandinavia. The building started in in 1905 after the shipwreck of S/S Helsingfors and was completed in 1906. The lighthouse was designed by architect Florentin Granholm. On December a special petrol lantern, designed and built in Paris, was brought to Bengtskär and installed atop the tower.
German fleet bombarded Bengstkär in the First World War in 1914. Since the Gulf of Finland was heavily mined, it was not until 1919 that the surrounding seas were declared safe for shipping, that the light was lit again.
After the war the military value of Bengtskär increased as part of the defence system of independent Finland. In Second World War (1941) Soviet Union made a suprise attack to island. After a bloody battle, the small Finnish garrison emerged victorious. Intermittent repairs to the facility continued during the post-war period.