The Gerace Castle
A fortification against domination
The castle stands at the highest point of the ancient town of Gerace. Reduced to ruins today, it stood out on the highest rock overlooking the valley below. Consolidated by the Byzantines on an ancient Greek-Roman structure, it was restructured and strengthened by the Normans during their domination.
The architectural structure
The remains of the imposing central tower with a cylindrical plan are particularly interesting with respect to the study of military architecture, while only the ruins remain of the long, monolithic basement walls built with megalithic blocks after the terrible earthquake of 1783. The fortification, clearly separated from the urban centre, is accessed via a panoramic view that opens onto the “Baglio”, a large open space from which you can enjoy the view of the entire valley up to the Ionian Sea.
DID YOU KNOW THAT …?
After delivering the orange flag to the municipality of Gerace as one of the most beautiful towns in Italy, the Calabria region has activated a plan to finance the restoration of the castle.
Restructuring and what remains
During the Spanish domination of the Aragon people, in conjunction with the development of the military arsenal linked to firearms, some renovations were carried out on the fort: on the main facade loopholes, guardhouses and internal walkways were created in addition to the circular base tower on its straight wall. Of the original castle, the pillars of the drawbridge, the body of the entrance, the parade ground, the circular tower, and the remains of the corner tower destroyed during the Second World War by the Anglo-American bombing of 1943 are now visible.
