esnrhegium #GetToKnow is an ESN project created for sharing the several little-know beauties of our city.
We are going to share, on our social a picture of monuments, typical dishes and tips related to Reggio Calabria, together with a brief description and all the information that are necessary in order to #GetToKnow it better.
The Aragonese Castle of Reggio di Calabria is the main fortress of the city and it is situated in the square with the same name, “Piazza Castello”. Along with the Riace bronzes, it is considered one of the main historical symbols of the city of Reggio di Calabria.
Despite being universally known as “Aragonese”, the castle has ancient origins. As a matter of fact, remains of the fortification of this area of the city date to much more ancient epochs than that of the construction of the castle.
Under the emperor Justinian I, during the war between the Goths and the Byzantines, Belisarius entered Reggio di Calabria in order to free it from the attackers and found it defenceless. Therefore, the general immediately ordered to restore the walls of the city.
In spite of the numerous conservation interventions, the aspect of the castle remained nearly unaltered since the epoch of Ferdinand I.
In 1860, the city and the castle were taken by Giuseppe Garibaldi. Subsequently to the Italian unification and the new development plan for the city, the bastion was considered a “foreign body”.
In 1892, the Provincial archaeological committee decreed a partial demolition of the castle conserving, however, the two towers since “Historical monuments of the city”. In 1897, the castle was declared a national monument.
The earthquake in 1908 damaged the most ancient spaces leaving, however, undamaged the two towers. The damage of the structure, despite being minimum, caused the activation of the demolition procedures sanctioned by the legislative decree of public works office of 1917. Nevertheless, in the same year, the castle was spared because it was transformed into a barracks.