Inside the Aragon Castle
If you are a warship fan, you have no doubt seen it in the background in hundreds of classic images.
Italian destroyer Dardo shown in 1935 entering Taranto with the Aragon Castle in the background. NH 85759
Italian corvettes Gabbiano (F-571) and Pellicano (F-574) pass the Ponte Girevole swing bridge in Taranto. In the background is the 15th Century Aragon Castle
Swedish minelayer HSwMS Älvsnabben Entering Taranto Harbour ~1976-77 during one of her 25 Naval Training Voyages
ITS Andrea Doria (D 553) leaving the naval base of Taranto 2019
San Giorgio,
Dreadnought battleship RM Dante Alighieri pictured as she traverses the Ponte Girevole Swingbridge at Taranto on February 25th, 1917. Castello Aragonese is to the left
Soviet (Project 68bis) Sverdlov-Class cruiser Ushakov enters Taranto, 1973
Cruiser Vittorio Veneto entering Taranto
Taranto’s seven-towered Castello Aragonese was built in 1496 for Ferdinand II of Aragon but has fortifications on its compound dating back to the Byzantine era. Since 1883 the fort has been occupied first by the Regia Marina and then by the post-WWII Marina Militare, with the latter working since 2003 to restore and preserve the castle.
The below tour, posted last week by the Italian Navy, is very interesting and, should you need the translation, just click on the closed captioning, then “settings” and choose “auto-translate English” for a fair approximation.
Enjoy!
