Forte Castellaccio | |
Partof: | the fortifications of Messina |
Location: | Messina, Sicily, Italy |
Coordinates: | 38.1961°N 15.5408°W |
Built: | 1547 |
Builder: | Kingdom of Sicily |
Materials: | Limestone |
Condition: | Derelict |
Forte Castellaccio is an abandoned hilltop fortress in Messina, Sicily built by Juan de Vega, Viceroy of Sicily around the middle of the 16th Century as part of a defensive project ordered by Emperor Charles V of Habsburg.[1] It was designed by the Italian military architect Antonio Ferramolino (died. 1550).[2] It was damaged by the 1908 Messina earthquake[3] before being briefly reused as a 'colony for boys' in the 1940s.[4] Despite several attempts to renovate the site since, it has remained abandoned and considered locally to be haunted by the ghosts of orphans and by the apparition of a nun.
The fortress stands on a hill between Gravitelli and Montepiselli, a short distance from Forte Gonzaga, another 16th Century defensive structure also built by Juan de Vega and designed by Antonio Ferramolino. The original structure has a quadrangular design and is annexed by several more modern buildings, all now in a state of dereliction.