About 8 miles to the west of Capo Rizzuto, on a small low and rocky island connected to the coast by a narrow strip of land, stands the majestic Aragon fortress Le Castella (38° 54’.5 N, 17° 02’.0 E). Its name, which has come to us in the plural form, meaning castles, is perhaps due to the existence of other castles scattered in the vicinity along the coast. An earlier imposing and armed Greek fortress must have already been present in the 4th century B.C.; the current structure, of an irregular plan, is work of the Aragonese, who at the closing of the 15th century rebuilt and strengthened an already existing Angevin fortification, with an interior cylindrical sighting tower (www.comune.crotone.it/turismo_e_cultura/riserva_marina.htm). The origins of Le Castella is lost in time, just as the history of two or three islets not far from the mainland, whose presence, surrounded in mystery, has been referred to since the 16th century. On one of these named Ogigia, the nymph Calypso is meant to have kept Ulysses, king of the seas, for a long period of time; Homer tells of this in his Odyssey (www.riservamarinacaporizzuto.it/2211/IT/geostoria/castella.asp). At a distance of no more than 200 meters off the south of the coast one can follow an evocative underwater archaeological course, winding its way for roughly 400 meters through the rocks skirting the castle, at an average depth of 5 meters. The course stops at 15 main points, marked by a plaque carrying a brief description, which bear witness to how, in the past, this stretch of sea once lay above water and was occupied by stone quarries for the extraction of blocks, active between the 6th and 4th centuries B.C. Given the shallow depth and the exceptionally clear waters, one can even follow the course swimming on the surface www.provincia.crotone.it/infoturismo/parchieriserve.php Comune di Crotone, official site www.comune.crotone.it Crotone Harbour www.portodicrotone.it

About 8 miles to the west of Capo Rizzuto, on a small low and rocky island connected to the coast by a narrow strip of land, stands the majestic Aragon fortress Le Castella (38°54’N, 17°01’E). Its name, which has come to us in the plural form, meaning castles, is perhaps due to the existence of other castles scattered in the vicinity along the coast. An earlier imposing and armed Greek fortress must have already been present in the 4th century B.C.; the current structure, of an irregular plan, is work of the Aragonese, who at the closing of the 15th century rebuilt and strengthened an already existing Angevin fortification, with an interior cylindrical sighting tower (www.comune.crotone.it/turismo_e_cultura/riserva_marina.htm). The origins of Le Castella is lost in time, just as the history of two or three islets not far from the mainland, whose presence, surrounded in mystery, has been referred to since the 16th century. On one of these named Ogigia, the nymph Calypso is meant to have kept Ulysses, king of the seas, for a long period of time; Homer tells of this in his Odyssey (www.riservamarinacaporizzuto.it/2211/IT/geostoria/castella.asp). At a distance of no more than 200 meters off the south of the coast one can follow an evocative underwater archaeological course, winding its way for roughly 400 meters through the rocks skirting the castle, at an average depth of 5 meters. The course stops at 15 main points, marked by a plaque carrying a brief description, which bear witness to how, in the past, this stretch of sea once lay above water and was occupied by stone quarries for the extraction of blocks, active between the 6th and 4th centuries B.C. Given the shallow depth and the exceptionally clear waters, one can even follow the course swimming on the surface (www.provincia.crotone.it/infoturismo/parchieriserve.php).