Thanks to CDP loans, the Calabrian municipality can restore its fortress and focus on cultural tourism
The medieval village of Belvedere Marittimo sits on a rocky ledge overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea and is dominated from above by the Aragonese Castle.
Built in the second half of the 11th century at the behest of Roger the Norman, it was during the reign of King Ferdinand of Aragon, around 1400, that the fortress reached its maximum splendour and took on the features we still see today, thanks to the work of Aragonese soldier architects, who further fortified it by adding battlements and corbels to the towers and terraces.
Officially recognised as a national monument, the “Prince’s Castle” as it is known, is the symbol of this Tyrrhenian town in the province of Cosenza and a reference point for tourism in Belvedere.
Privately owned for some time, the Castle was purchased by the Municipality of Belvedere Marittimo with loans granted by Cassa Depositi e Prestiti for an amount of over 300,000 euros. It will be made safe and completely restored to allow access for tourists and the entire community of the Calabrian town.
The municipality administration and community have been working for years with the hope of opening the castle once again. Now, with the support of CDP, the Aragonese Castle can begin a new phase of its life and this means the Municipality of Belvedere Marittimo will be able to focus on cultural and historical tourism, and not only that linked to summertime by the sea.
There is a long standing relationship between Belvedere Marittimo and Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, from which the local community has benefited several times and the purchase of the Aragonese Castle is just the latest project. With financial support from CDP, the Municipality has been able to implement construction works of strategic importance, including those for the water network, road maintenance, renovation of the parish church and completion of the town’s stadium.