Castello di Terra explained

Castello di Terra
Location:Trapani, Sicily, Italy
Type:castle
Coordinates:38.0191°N 12.5141°W
Ownership:State property
Open To Public:No
Built: 1186
Used:12th–19th centuries
Condition:Ruins

The Castello di Terra (English: Land Castle) is a castle in Trapani, Sicily. It was originally built in the late 12th century, and was modified over the years until the 19th century. The castle is now in ruins.

History

The Castello di Terra was built in around 1186, and was expanded in the second half of the 14th century and modified again in the 16th and 17th centuries.[1] The castle was originally located at the mouth of the channel linking the Tyrrhenian Sea to the port.[2]

Parts of the castle were converted into barracks in the 19th century. The barracks were demolished in the 1970s and their site is now occupied by a police station.[1]

Archaeological excavations and a partial restoration were carried out at the castle in 1992 and 1994.[3]

Layout

The castle originally had a quadrilateral shape, with semi-circular towers along its curtain walls and rectangular towers at the corners. Today, only the northwestern face of the castle is still intact.[1]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Castello di Terra. travelitalia. 21 August 2015. it.
  2. Web site: Castello di Terra. Castelli di Sicilia. 21 August 2015. it.
  3. Web site: Il Castello di terra di Trapani – "Un tesoro sottratto". La Risacca Mensile Trapanese. 23 May 2011. 21 August 2015. it. 6 July 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200706022804/http://www.larisaccamensiletrapanese.it/wp/?p=183. dead.