Aragonese Castle | |
---|---|
Castello Aragonese | |
Italy | |
Coordinates | 40°43′54″N13°57′53″E / 40.7318°N 13.9647°E |
Site history | |
Materials | Limestone |
Aragonese Castle (Italian : Castello Aragonese) is a castle built on a small tidal island east of 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 (Ponte Aragonese).
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.[ citation needed ]
In 1441 Alfonso V of Aragon 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.[ citation needed ]
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 13 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.[ citation needed ]
The castle is built on a small tidal island east of Ischia (one of the Phlegraean Islands), at the northern end of the Gulf of Naples, Italy. [1] The castle stands on a volcanic rocky islet that connects to the larger island of Ischia by a causeway (Ponte Aragonese).[ citation needed ]
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 (Italian : 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. [1]
Ischia Film Festival, an international film festival, is held in the castle each year from late June into early July. [2] [3] [4] [5]
The castle was used as Riza's 'Fortified Fortress' in the 2019 film Men in Black: International . [6]
It was also mentioned in the book The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History.[ citation needed ]
Campania is an administrative region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands and the island of Capri. The capital of the Campania region is Naples. As of 2018, the region had a population of around 5,820,000 people, making it Italy's third most populous region, and, with an area of 13,590 km2 (5,247 sq mi), its most densely populated region. Based on its GDP, Campania is also the most economically productive region in Southern Italy and the 7th most productive in the whole country. Naples' urban area, which is in Campania, is the eighth most populous in the European Union. The region is home to 10 of the 58 UNESCO sites in Italy, including Pompeii and Herculaneum, the Royal Palace of Caserta, the Amalfi Coast, the Longobardian Church of Santa Sofia in Benevento and the Historic Centre of Naples. In addition, Campania's Mount Vesuvius is part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
Maria was Queen of Sicily and Duchess of Athens and Neopatria from 1377 until her death.
Capri is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrento Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples, in the Campania region of Italy. The largest settlement on the island is the town of Capri. The island has been a resort since the time of the Roman Republic.
Ischia is a volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It lies at the northern end of the Gulf of Naples, about 30 kilometres from the city of Naples. It is the largest of the Phlegrean Islands. Although inhabited since the Bronze Age, as a Greek emporium it was founded in the 8th or 9th century BCE, and known as Πιθηκοῦσαι, Pithekoūsai.
The volcanism of Italy is due chiefly to the presence, a short distance to the south, of the boundary between the Eurasian Plate and the African Plate. Italy is a volcanically active country, containing the only active volcanoes in mainland Europe. The lava erupted by Italy's volcanoes is thought to result from the subduction and melting of one plate below another.
Procida is one of the Phlegraean Islands off the coast of Naples in southern Italy. The island is between Cape Miseno and the island of Ischia. With its tiny satellite island of Vivara, it is a comune (municipality) of the Metropolitan City of Naples, in the region of Campania.
The Phlegraean Fields is a large caldera volcano west of Naples, Italy. It is part of the Campanian volcanic arc, which includes Mount Vesuvius, about 9 km east of Naples. The Phlegraean Fields is monitored by the Vesuvius Observatory. It was declared a regional park in 2003.
The Gulf of Naples, also called the Bay of Naples, is a roughly 15-kilometer-wide (9.3 mi) gulf located along the south-western coast of Italy. It opens to the west into the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered on the north by the cities of Naples and Pozzuoli, on the east by Mount Vesuvius, and on the south by the Sorrento Peninsula and the main town of the peninsula, Sorrento. The Peninsula separates the Gulf of Naples from the Gulf of Salerno, which includes the Amalfi Coast.
Atrani is a city and comune on the Amalfi Coast in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. It is located to the east of Amalfi, several minutes' drive down the coast.
Tramonti is a town and comune in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. It is located in the territory of the Amalfi Coast.
Vivara is a satellite islet of Procida, one of the three main islands in the Gulf of Naples.
John Joseph of the Cross, OFM was an Italian Catholic priest and professed member of the Order of Friars Minor who hailed from the island of Ischia. He had a reputation for austerity and for the gift of miracles and served as a novice master.
Ischia is a town and one of the six comuni on Ischia island, in the Tyrrhenian Sea. With a population of about 18,000, it is the largest settlement on the island.
The Campanian Archipelago, also called Neapolitan Archipelago, is an archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea, in southwestern Italy. It principally comprises 5 islands: Capri, Ischia, Nisida, Procida, and Vivara. Most of the archipelago belongs to the Metropolitan City of Naples.
The Castello di Milazzo is a castle and citadel in Milazzo, Sicily. It is located on the summit of a hill overlooking the town, on a site first fortified in the Neolithic era. The Greeks modified it into an acropolis, and it was later enlarged into a castrum by the Romans and Byzantines. The Normans built a castle, which was further modified and enlarged during the Medieval and Early Modern periods. It is now in good condition, and open to the public.
Villa Rufolo is a villa within the historic center of Ravello, a town in the province of Salerno, southern Italy, which overlooks the front of the cathedral square. The initial layout dates from the 13th century, with extensive remodeling in the 19th century.
The Ischia Film Festival (IFF) is an annual international film festival held in the Aragonese Castle on the island of Ischia, Italy in late June to early July. Founded in 2003 and as of 2023 still directed by Michelangelo Messina, the festival focuses on film locations. Feature films in competition are eligible for four awards, and there are separate awards for short films and other categories.
Santa Maria del Soccorso is a church located within the archaeological site of Villa Jovis, on the island of Capri, Italy. It is situated on the summit of the Lo Capo hill at the eastern extremity of the island. The chapel-like church, was constructed ca. 1610. Its fittings include a bronze statue of the Madonna, a 1979 gift of the Caprese painter Guido Odierna (1913-1991). In the late 19th century, hermit lived at the church, keeping a visitor's book and selling wine.
The Metropolitan City of Naples is a metropolitan city in the Campania region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Naples. The province was established on 1 January 2015 and contains 92 comuni . It was first created by the reform of local authorities and established by Law 56/2014, thus replacing the province of Naples in 2015.
Corricella is a port on Procida in the Phlegraean Islands off the coast of Naples in southern Italy. It is known for its vibrantly colorful housing.