Roccella Ionica Castle, Roccella Ionica, Italy

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.

User Reviews

Jean Chessex (10 months ago)
Beautiful ruined tower on top of a hill by the sea. Metal stairs built in the 2000s lead to the top and offer a magnificent view of the Ionian Sea and the castle slightly below. A little extra for the labyrinth dug into the rock of the hill during the Second World War, accessible at the foot of the stairs. It then served as anti-aircraft defense.

Leon Kidd (11 months ago)
Beautiful spot and view, currently closed for renovations, but good lookout at the tower on the adjacent hill. We asked the council when it will open, say it should be open around May after works are completed

Alerialand (2 years ago)
Lindo, a vista vale a pena, mas o castelo e a torre estão abandonados.

Pietro Giuliani (3 years ago)
Beautiful Tower of Pizzofalcone, located at the top of the Roccella Jonica hill, from there you can see a beautiful panorama, to get there you have to make a nice climb on foot complete with iron stairs that cause a bit of anxiety.

Ian Toone (6 years ago)
Outstanding spot. Only open on the weekend to get into the main part. Nice bar near the gates. We went up the metal stairs to the oldest tower and went inside the base which is always open.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus

The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.

The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.

The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.

Roccella Ionica Castle

Address

Details

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus