Tourist Attraction in Termoli:
Castello Svevo di Termoli

3891/5000 The Swiss castle of Termoli features with its profile the image of the old town of the city. Its construction dates back roughly to the XIII century, when Frederick II of Swabia. The castle is commonly called Svevo, probably because of the renovation, dated to 1247, which Frederick II made to make, as evidenced by a tombstone found within one of the Corner Towers and the Statue Reparationis. This intervention was to be implemented in 1240, after the defeat of the existing defenses by the Venetian fleet, allied to Pope Gregory IX. The Emperor Svevo wanted the walls and the castle to be restored, and foresaw new military installations. Over the centuries the castle has undergone various changes especially for the adoption of firearms. During the recent restorations, graffiti dating back to the 16th century was found, and some charcoal designs left on the walls of the lower tank during the period when it was used as a Bourbon prison. The Castle is made up of a tower that rests on a square pyramid trunk. On the four corners of the base, as many cylindrical towers are engraved. The structure develops mainly in height on the north side near the sea. This, together with other architectural elements, means that the castle had a function of sighting but above all defensive. The portal was guarded by a drawbridge and a moat extending north-east. The lower part of the castle, which develops on a slightly higher level than the current road plan, had a warehouse and storage function. It consists of four large rectangular and barrel-shaped environments that develop around the Norman period structure. At present, a modern-day staircase connects the ground-floor and first-floor environments, and in ancient times this function was made up of wooden structures. The upper part of the castle was used as a store and home, but above all it had a defensive role. The environments on the first floor are called "Archers Hall", all of them have a rectangular plan, are covered with barrel vaults and are characterized by numerous slots that allow archers and archers to hit the foes from above. On this floor the circular turrets develop, and here, originally, the only access to the castle on the northeast was opened, where the shelves that were used to slide the ropes and winches of the drawbridge were visible. The upper body terrace of the Castle still has remains of stone shelves, once used to support rails and mobile scaffolds for lead shooting. The castle, considered in the Swabian era, the last outpost of Puglia, underwent several structural changes over the centuries. With the advent of firearms the holes became partially transformed into archibuges. During recent work, at the bottom of the belvedere tower, a cliff-level cannoniere was found to secure the western wall covering. Of particular interest are some charcoal inscriptions dating back to the eighteenth century found in the lower halls of the castle that at that time were used as prison. These are the names, dates and in some cases the reasons for the imprisonment. On the south-east wall, it reads "the slaughterer". In 1902 the Svevo castle became a national monument and in 1909 the military navy placed a meteorological station on the highest part of the building. Today the castle halls are used for exhibitions and music reviews, and the ancient walls often give rise to civil marriages.

Attractions in Termoli