The fortification of the castrum of Malvito has ancient origins. New investigations would be necessary to certify its real date: since in the Longobard period the city was a bishopric and a seat of gastaldato, it is possible to hypothesize a first building in that period.
The original castrum, however, was certainly active in the Byzantine period. Later, literary sources tell of its belonging to the Norman Duke Robert known as "Lo Scalone", – son of Guiscardo and Sikelgaita, lord of Malvito and Scalea – who may have fortified and improved the original structure. Originally, this was provided with two curtain walls: the one protecting the acropolis, adjacent to the majestic tower, and the outer one, probably intended to protect the town.
Inside, there are the remains of the fortified gate and a section of the boundary wall, which reaches a thickness of 120 cm, a short distance from which you can see a square tower dating from around the ninth to tenth century.
As soon as they emerge from the ground, then, in the courtyard of the castle are visible the crests of a rectangular building, identifiable with a Byzantine tower (perhaps the central keep).
