Lipari Castle
The Castle of Lipari is a walled stronghold located on top of a promontory overlooking the sea. The so-called fortified citadel, also known as "Civita", is made up of the Castle itself and a set of artifacts and defensive systems. The Necropolis and the areas that make up the urban agglomeration occupy the flat areas of Civita. The mighty city wall comprising the Sottocastello district at a slightly lower altitude separates Marina Lunga in the north from Marina Corta in the south and the lower part of the city.
The history of the castle area begins in 4000 BC, the first ascertained settlements date back to the Neolithic period and these are clearly visible overlapping huts with an oval plan, built with dry stone and with roofs of broom branches and with floors covered with raw clay. Various dominations follow, witnessed by the numerous archaeological finds perfectly preserved over time.
The long history of the Castle of Lipari is testified by the presence of different styles in the castle's architecture: from the entrance to the castle there is a short gallery in style Neo-Gothic, a fortification from the late Roman era, and the imposing door, at the top of which is a coat of arms depicting an eagle, the symbol of the Bourbons .
Inside the castle complex there are various religious structures including the Church of Santa Caterina dating back to the 16th century, now disused, and the Church of the Addolorata from the 16th century characterized by a Baroque style facade. Next to the church of Santa Caterina are the remains of the huts dating back to the Bronze Age and part of a urban plan from the Greek-Roman era.
Not far from the excavations , there is the staircase of the Concordat which was built in 900 in order to connect the Cathedral of San Bartolomeo with the inhabited center. In the south-west area of the complex there is a theater built in 1976 which offers a suggestive view over the bay of Marina Corta.
Inside the Castle complex there is also the Park Archaeological where the Sarcophagi from the Greek era are kept, and the Aeolian Archaeological Museum Bernabò Brea.
