Castello Alfonsino

The Alfonsino Castle (also known as "Red Castle" because of the color of the blocks of carparo) is a fortification that stands on the Island of St. Andrew, at the entrance of the port, on the southern headland, which follows its irregular shape. The island housed the old Benedictine Abbey of St. Andrew (of which have remained only the capitals, visible to the Provincial Archaeological Museum). In 1445 Alfonso V of Aragon built a first tower, as a defensive outpost of the port; from 1558 to 1604 the rest of the island was surrounded by ramparts ("Fort at Sea") and separated by a moat. "The Fort at Sea" is linked to several war events, among which we remember the attack of sixteen Venetian galleys (1528) and the French siege to Boccheciampe (1799). From the architectural point, it's possible to observe both the fifteenth-century fortified structure, with its portal, that the so-called "work in horn," according to the dictates of the '500. Throughout its history, the island has also worked as a hospital and headquarters of the Navy. Abandoned in the '80s, the fort has been restored.

(Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/homini/)