Historic Castle Stays in Italy

For travelers young and old, the wonderment of visiting a medieval fortified castle, by virtue of their purpose often positioned in a dramatic landscape with amazing views, is a unique travel experience that allows us to almost relive history as it was. This article may in fact have to be a series because there are many choices, all very different given Italy’s regional diversity. The following are two hidden gems — castles that have inspired us during our family travels to Italy this year, more to come! Castello Aragonese, Ischia Ponte The Castello Aragonese is a stately and graceful adornment to the shimmering azure waters surrounding the small fishing village of Ischia Ponte, on the island of Ischia in the Bay of Naples. Originally consisting of two towers constructed on a small craggy island near the mainland by the Ancient Greeks in 474 BC, the island was then inhabited by the Parthenopeans and the Romans in antiquity, and then faced plunder and domination from a series of barbarian and pirate invaders. In 1441 Alphonso of Aragon constructed a bridge joining the island to the mainland and built the structure that stands here today, with many fascinating remnants of this layered past, ranging from an ancient Temple of the Sun to fortified watchtowers that once housed Renaissance princess Vittoria Colonna, to simple medieval dwellings amid historic terraced gardens that once produced food for nearly 1800 inhabitants when the majority of mainland residents fled Ischia Ponte to live on the island in the 16th century to take refuge from the constant threat of pirates. Read more here.

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