The Aragon castle in Taranto, known as Castel Sant’Angelo, overlooking the sea is a splendid construction designed by the architect Francesco di Giorgio Martini from Siena on commission by Ferdinand of Aragon towards the end of the XV century. The King of Naples’ project was to construct a defence castle. The castle was built on the foundation of a Norman-Suevian-Angionian structure created by the Normans to defend the city, even if the original court dates back to the Byzantines, who built a fortress to protect themselves against the Saracens. The distinctive towers are of particular interest with their large and low dimensions that compose the castle and emphasise its fortification function. The castle was also used as a jail under the Augsburgs and is currently the office of the Navy.
A Brief History:
Construction work started by Ferdinand of Aragon concluded in 1492, as you can see from the engraved plaque on the “Porta Paterna”. The castle was newly restored by the Spanish during the XVI century, while in the eighteenth century the Augsburgs turned it into a prison.
Curios:
Inside the castle you can still see the little cells where prisoners were tortured. If you look closely in the room vault you will see a centrally located hole through which the screams of the tortured prisoners were heard by everyone held there.
Not to be missed:
The traces confirming the role of the Aragon dynasty in the construction of the castle are evident from the “Porta Paterna” plaque and the famous Ponte Girevole (Revolving Bridge) that connects the ancient district to the new city.
