Some castles guard a hill, some a river crossing, some a coast. Caerphilly guards itself with water, and lots of it. Spread across a series of great artificial lakes in

Rising from a rocky island in the middle of the River Suir, in the green county of Tipperary, Cahir Castle is one of the largest, strongest, and best-preserved medieval castles

Rising alone on a low hill in the sun-baked country of southern Italy, Castel del Monte is unlike any other castle you have ever seen. It is a perfect octagon,

Rising beside the harbour of Naples, its five great towers dominating the waterfront of one of the most vibrant cities in Italy, stands the mighty fortress known as Castel Nuovo,

On the right bank of the Tiber in Rome, a short walk from Saint Peter’s, stands one of the most extraordinary buildings in a city full of them. Castel Sant

Taranto is a city almost surrounded by water. Set on the arch of the Italian boot, in the region of Puglia, it sits between two seas, the open Mar Grande

Some castles crown a hill. This one is a small mountain in its own right. The Castello Aragonese rises off the eastern shore of the island of Ischia, in the

There are castles built to frighten, and there are castles built to impress, and every so often you find one that seems to have been built simply to be beautiful.

On a rocky point jutting out into the blue waters of the Gulf of Trieste, in the far north-east of Italy, stands a castle so white and so perfectly placed

In the heart of the elegant city of Ferrara, in the north of Italy, stands one of the most striking castles in the country, a great red-brick fortress with four