Castello Aragonese (Taranto)

Castello Aragonese in 2015

The Castello Aragonese is a fortification in Taranto, Italy. Officially called the Castel San Angelo, it was built on the site of older fortifications dating to Greek occupation in the third and fourth centuries BC. In 1481 the low ground in front of the fortification site was excavated to allow the passage of boats, and to create a moated defensive position. The present fort was built for the then-king of Naples, Ferdinand II of Aragon in 1496 to reinforce the naturally low-lying link between the old town of Taranto on a peninsula, and the mainland. The seven-towered design is attributed to Francesco di Giorgio Martini of Siena. The fort resisted a Turkish attack in 1594, but it quickly lost its military significance with the advent of artillery. Itself converted to an artillery platform, many interior spaces were filled in to provide a stable base for the guns. It was later converted to a prison and later a barracks [1]

In 1883 the San Angelo tower was demolished to allow construction of the Ponte Girevole, and four others were removed to allow the widening of the canal. Since 1883 the fort has been occupied by the Italian Navy. From 2003 the Navy began restoration and archeological work on the site, removing plasterwork and investigating early fortification work. The fort is open for tours.[1][2]

References

  1. 1 2 "Storia del Castello Aragonese". Marina Militare. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  2. ↑ Salvatore, Alessandro (September 28, 2017). "Taranto, il castello Aragonese quarta attrazione pugliese". La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno. Retrieved 5 March 2018.

Coordinates: 40°28′21.43″N 17°14′02.56″E / 40.4726194°N 17.2340444°E / 40.4726194; 17.2340444

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.