Castle Ruffo of San Lucido – San Lucido, Italy - Atlas Obscura

Castle Ruffo of San Lucido

San Lucido, Italy

This ancient castle, built to defend against attacks by Turkish pirates, was the birthplace of a local revolutionary hero. 

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The Castle of San Lucido was commissioned by Bishop Arnulfo around 1092  to defend the area against any attacks from the sea by pirates from the eastern Mediterranean. The threats continued until well into the 16th century. Ceramic “masks” of Saracen figures adorn the old town by way of a memorial to those times and the town has a famously wild festival on the 21st July to celebrate one of the successful defences against the pirates.

The remains of the structure of the old castle, include embrasures and  a terreplein or gun platform. It is linked to remnants of the walls of the old town by walls and walkways and  the remaining features includes the bridge that connected the castle to the church of San Giovanni Battista. It also incorporates a number of buildings locally described as “palaces” which were built right up to both the castle walls proper and the wider defensive structures. These palaces were obviously once very fine residences but now some are in a poor state of repair and others have municipal uses.

Within the castle ruins it is still also possible to see cellars, including water cisterns, as well as various walkways and a masonry bridge that crosses the remains of a moat. It was partially destroyed by an earthquake in 1908.

The main castle itself sits high up on a hill overlooking the beach and lower down, nearer to the coast, is also the remains of a smaller substructure called the Fortino which seems less affected by the earthquake. Also important to see are an ancient and easily defendable, staircase, the Redra and Silica staircase that leads up to the Castle from the sea.

As well as the physical remains the castle is a symbol of an important period of history of Calabria  (and  the wider region on the toe of Italy) which also involves one of Britain’s favourite naval heroes. In the 18th and 19th centuries the fort belonged to the Princes Ruffo di Calabria. It was the birthplace (in 1744) and later the ancestral power base, of  Fabrizio Ruffo. He was chief of the Sanfedista army, a largely irregular force, recruited from Calabria, which carried out a successful revolution against the Jacobin French rulers (who had taken over the area when the ruling Bourbons were displaced in the French Revolution). Ruffo was supporting King Ferdinand I,  a member of the Bourbon dynasty (who was also supported by the Pope). The rising against  the Jacobins was very much seen as a holy war. Ruffo’s birth at the castle is marked with a plaque next to the main arch.

By the end of April of  1799, the Sanfedisti had subdued  all of Calabria, Basilicata and most of Apulia. Most of the Sanfedisti victories occurred in rugged terrain, which was very appropriate to the irregular style of warfare employed by Ruffo.

By June  Ruffo had begun a  siege of the city of Naples,  where  his  besieging troops were supported by the guns of the British Royal Navy under the command of Horatio Nelson. In recognition of his efforts to support Ruffo, King Ferdinand gave Nelson the title of “Duke of Bronte”, which Nelson is thought to have valued more than the lesser title of Baron (which the British crown had awarded him for success at the the battle of the Nile). Apparently Nelson used the title on  his signature for the rest of his life.

The reputation of Ruffo suffered greatly for the brutal way in which Jacobin prisoners and former collaborators were treated but it has been suggested that much of the brutality may have been due to a desire for revenge against the Jacobins by King Ferdinand’s wife Maria Carolina who was the sister of Marie Antoinette.

Despite his somewhat historically stained reputation, locally, Ruffo is still seen as a hero and even today young Calabrians can commonly sing the anthem of the old Sanfedista army from memory as it is one of the most popular local folk songs. In recognition of his services the Pope appointed Ruffo as a Cardinal, even though he had never been a priest.