After the ‘Quick getaways to hidden Italy’ and #piazzadante initiatives, the Italian Cultural Institute in Hamburg is (virtually) getting back on the road, exploring watchtowers and soaring battlements on the horizon, to draw a map for a brand new, ideal journey. We’ll be travelling to castles by the sea, on mountains and hills, near lakes… discovering defensive strongholds, isolated castles, “castle villages”, castles that have become residences and castles that have become museums: there are more than 20,000 castles dotted around Italy, playing an important role in the country’s history since the Middle Ages and profoundly characterizing its landscape.
This journey follows in the footsteps of Frederick II in Basilicata and Puglia and looks at the incredible Arab-Norman syncretism in Sicily, as well as exploring the scenic coastal castles overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea and Ionian Sea, the Scaliger fortresses in Lombardy and Veneto, the stunning frescoes in the castles of Trentino and Valle dAosta and the castle villages scattered between Abruzzo, Marche and Umbria; then there are the elegant residences of Piedmont, the iconic castle complexes of Emilia-Romagna and the Molise horses, not to mention Tuscany’s bizzare oriental features and the sea and hill castles of Sardinia.
The ‘Visiting castles’ project uses geolocation tools to take visitors on a geographical tour via the OpenStreetMap platform: keen travellers can get inspired and build their very own personal itinerary. A selection of very high-quality pictures will accompany visitors on their journey, thanks to the contributions of photographers and travellers, with whom the Institute has been actively working through social networks, trying out yet another digital communication strategy. The exhibition is being supported by the Italian Ministry of Culture (MiC), which has shared experiences and images of the castles belonging to its network.
This initiative launches on 12 April 2021 on the Institute’s social media accounts. To learn more, please visit: iicamburgo.esteri.it.