The Aragonese Castle is one of the most impressive historical monuments in the Ischia island, Italy. It stands on a on a massive rock, connected to the Italian island by a 220 meter long man-made stone bridge. It reaches a height of 113 meters above sea level and has a surface area of approximately 56,000 m2. The climb can be made on an old mule track or by using a modern elevator that was installed in the seventies.
The castle was built in 1441 by Alfonso D’Aragona on top of the ruins of an old fort that dated back to 474 B.C. This fortified castle was used to protect Ischia’s population from pirate attacks. In the 16th century, almost 1900 families lived in the castle, as well as some religious orders who lived in the 13 churches inside the fortress. It has also been a convent and an infamous political prison run by the King of Naples from 1823 to 1862.
The castle walls housed churches, courtyards, antique archways, terraces, gardens and arcades with outstanding views of the sea, the peninsula, the harbor of Ischia. The castle is constantly animated with prestigious cultural events such as art exhibitions, concerts, theater and conferences which make the guest’s stay even more pleasurable in this place where the beauty of nature and the fascination of history blend together in perfect harmony.
In the Aragonese Castle there are: the baroque style Church of the Virgin Mary; the entrance hall, the courtyard and the terrace of the Clarisse nuns Convent that was founded by the abbess Beatrice Quadra in 1575; the ruins of the Cathedral dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption; St. Peter’s vault having frescoed walls with depictions of the School of Giotto from 1300; St. Peter’s church of Pantaniello from the 16th century; the Cafeteria of the Monastery which faces the magnificent bay of St. Anna.
