Aragonese Castle ( it, Castello Aragonese) is a
castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
next to
Ischia (one of the
Phlegraean Islands), at the northern end of the
Gulf of Naples,
Italy.
The castle stands on a volcanic rocky islet that connects to the larger island of Ischia by a
causeway
A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet Tra ...
(').
A first castle was built by
Hiero I of Syracuse in 474 BC. At the same time, two towers were built to control enemy fleets' movements. The rock was then occupied by
Parthenopeans (the ancient inhabitants of Naples). In 326 BC the fortress was captured by Romans, and then again by the Parthenopeans. In 1441
Alfonso V of Aragon
Alfonso the Magnanimous (139627 June 1458) was King of Aragon and King of Sicily (as Alfonso V) and the ruler of the Crown of Aragon from 1416 and King of Naples (as Alfonso I) from 1442 until his death. He was involved with struggles to the t ...
connected the rock to the island with a stone bridge instead of the prior wood bridge, and fortified the walls in order to defend the inhabitants against the raids of pirates.
Around 1700, about 2000 families lived on the islet, including a
Poor Clares convent, an abbey of
Basilian monks (of the
Greek Orthodox Church), the bishop and the seminar, the prince with a military garrison. There were also thirteen churches. In 1809, the British troops laid siege to the island, then under French command, and shelled it to almost complete destruction. In 1912, the castle was sold to a private owner. Today the castle is the most visited monument of the island.
It is accessed through a tunnel with large openings which let the light enter. Along the tunnel there is a small chapel consecrated to
John Joseph of the Cross ( it, San Giovan Giuseppe della Croce), the patron saint of the island. Outside the castle are the Church of the Immacolata and the Cathedral of Assunta. The first was built in 1737 on the location of a smaller chapel dedicated to Saint Francis, and closed after the suppression of Convents in 1806 as well as the nunnery of the Clarisses.
The castle was used as Riza's 'Fortified Fortress' in the 2019 film ''
Men in Black: International''.
Men In Black International (2019) film locations
''Movie-Locations.com''] Retrieved November 1, 2019
See also
* List of castles in Italy
References
Castles in Campania
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