Bastion Of The Knights of Malta - Lamezia

A short drive from the centre of Lamezia in your hire car is soon rewarded on your arrival at one of the many coastal towers perched along the cliffs of the region.  The largest and most impressive of these constructions is surely the Bastion of the Knights of Malta, an imposing and beautifully preserved watchtower, complete with its original 16^th century ramparts and walls, which are over 2 feet thick.  Originally built in 1550 by the Spanish Viceroy of Naples, Pedro de Toledo, this striking tower formed part of a coastal defence system  against what was then the constant threat of invasion from the Saracens and the Turks from the South and East.

 

Given to the Knights of Malta to run as part of their fiefdom, the tower was equipped with all the latest war machines such as giant slingshots and catapults, and has remained remarkably well-preserved to this day.  Quite apart from the impressive building itself, the coastal views afforded from the ramparts of the tower are unmissable, and will round off nicely any visit to this most beautiful stretch of Italian coast.