Canon EOS 250D | 35mm | 1/800s | f/8 | ISO 100 Taken on 22/02/2020. The area around the coast of Calabria, near the town of Isola di Capo Rizzuto, is part of the Marine Protected Area of Capo Rizzuto–the largest of its kind in Italy. And on a small peninsula along this coastline stands a beautiful sandcastle-like fortress that seems to have come straight out of the pages of a mystical fairytale. Known now as the Castello Aragonese, this structure dates back to the Greek colonisation of Southern Italy, an area then called Magna Graecia. The Greeks built a fortress on the peninsula around the 5th century BC that was later used by the Romans. At one point, the fortress was a refuge for the Carthaginian general Hannibal as he and his forces retreated during the Second Punic War against Rome. After the fall of Rome, many different kingdoms, empires and people ruled over the area such as the Norman's, Byzantines and Angevins, each using and expanding the fortress over the centuries. The castle was inhabited during the Middle Ages, but was abandoned during the 9th century following a raid by Arab forces. In addition, the area was the site of an important battle of the War of the Sicilian Vespers in 1297. During this time, the tower was built by the Angevins who ruled the Kingdom of Naples. It was later restored by the Aragonese during the early 16th century—hence its name today. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: Le Castella can be reached by bus from Crotone. The company's called 'Autolinee Romano' and runs this service Monday to Saturday. ______________________________________ #LeCastella #Ig_Crotone #IgersCrotone #Calabria #Italia #Italy #SouthItaly #AMePiaceIlSud #NatGeoTravel #NationalGeographic #BestPlacesToGo #FindItLiveIt #Mare #Love #CalabriaDaAmare #Sea #Travel #SembraEstate #TravelBlogger #IgersCalabria #BellezzaItaliana #PhotoOfTheDay #SudItalia #VolgoCalabria #InstaGood #Wonderful_Places #BeautifulMatters #Italia_Shotz #EarthFocus #YallersCalabria (at Le Castella, Calabria, Italy) https://www.instagram.com/p/CHpdhLEFlYJ/?igshid=ws8wdyvsgedl
