The Roccella Ionica Castle sits on a rocky promontory at 104 meters, overlooking the village. Founded during the Norman period by Gualtieri De Collepietro, it later passed to the Ruffo family, then to Galeotto Baldaxi, and finally to the Carafa della Spina family, who restored it between 1479 and 1806. The fortress withstood attacks, including from Turkish corsair Dragut Pasha in 1553. The palace features ruins, including a stone portal with the Carafa crest, a monumental balcony with carved figures, and a courtyard with a star-shaped drainage system. Next to the castle is the Baroque-style Mother Church of St. Nicholas, once connected to the palace by a private choir. The church houses valuable polychrome marble altars, now national monuments.
The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.