To protect the city, the Aragonese sovereigns, King Ferdinand I of Naples and his son Alfonso, when the Ottomans took Otranto (1480), chose the island of Sant’Andrea as an ideal place to control access from the sea to the city. They occupied almost the entire island to build the castle, also called alfonsino, or “sea castle,” which with Philip II of Hapsburg (16th century) became impregnable thanks to the three bastions and the high and thick walls. After alternating events that saw it become a hospital, lighthouse, home and military garrison, the fort is temporarily closed for renovation work (it is expected to reopen by 2019: check their website to see if it has), but do still visit the island. Even just admiring it is an incredible feeling: at sunset, the tuff stone with which it was built takes on a reddish color that makes it charming, so much so that to many this is simply the “red castle.”
