Monte Ursino Castle

Noli, Italy

The Mount Ursino Castle was destroyed by a fire around 900 and rebuilt on the hill.  It is mentioned in 1004 in a document and defined fortified village. After the construction of a first tower on top of the hill, the fortress was enlarged repeatedly until reaching its present form around the 15th century, embracing even the baby village in the Piana, current historical center, while it was gradually abandoned that in hill. Supporters of this structure medieval military were mainly the Del Carretto family, the feudal lords of Noli. The castle was able to control both the sea and the coast that the old Roman road passing in the hill in the locality of Voze, and used until the 18th century.

The castle is formed on the top by a cylindrical tower, surrounded by massive walls and from the accommodation for the troop. From this main core descended two walled perimeters, largely still preserved today, which embraced the whole hill and subsequently also the village downstream. Circular towers susseguivano it at regular intervals along the sloping walls on the sides of the Monte Ursino. The access doors were defended by a singular system still today partly preserved that was constituted by an external tower to walls and connected thereto via a walkway in masonry. This allowed to defend the access doors from the outside by hitting enemies from behind. The castle and the walls of the village are among the examples of medieval fortification best preserved in the Ligurian Ponente.

References:

Comments

Your name



Address

Regione Zuglieno 74, Noli, Italy
See all sites in Noli

Details

Founded: 10th century AD
Category: Castles and fortifications in Italy

More Information

www.e-borghi.com

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

RV (3 months ago)
Great castle to visit, a small hike to get up here but well worth it for the views.
Pille Kilometer (4 months ago)
Nice medieval castle that has a old and unique wall that goes all the way down to the village. It offers great views on the (very busy) coastline beneath. We did not visit the castle itself but took pictures from the nearby cemetery
Dirk Hillebrand (22 months ago)
very nice restored Castello. Even we arrived few minutes before closing, the very friendly guide let us entry and told us not to rush. So it is an excellent place to visit with a super nice service - thanks for that.
Monika Solak (2 years ago)
Splendid panoramic views of Noli and the sea. Entry only 2 euro pp, you can pay 4 euro pp and have a private guided tour with one of the volunteers. Nice little castle, we really enjoyed the tour and the views. The guide recommended us even a delicious restaurant where we had lunch later. Totally worth visit. We came via car, there is free parking just up from the castle if you don't want to climb up.
Lawrence (2 years ago)
Nice castle with good views over Noli. The climb up from town is steep but doesn’t take to long. Remember to bring some water with you if you plan visit in the summer. A group of volunteers look after the castle and entry is modest €2 for adults and €1 for children. There is an elevator that takes you up to the top of the ramparts where you are rewarded with some panoramic views.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Bengtskär Lighthouse

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.