The Castle of the Forest, located on a hill facing the Island of Dino, is a "fortified building with a rectangular shape, a keep, and two cylindrical towers at the vertices of the polygon. Some sections of Arab-style battlements remain." Built with "rough stone bound with abundant mortar," "this castle of Charles V was actually built during the time of Charles of Anjou. In the 17th century, it was used for rest by the prelate Matteo Cosentino, Bishop of Anglona-Tursi." The Space We can call it La Rocca di Praia, Castello di Praia, Castello della Foresta, or Castello Normanno, various names indicating a castle built in the Norman era in the 12th-13th centuries. Perched on a hill near Praia, it overlooks the sea from which you can admire the wonderful panorama.
Initially, it was built as a military construction to counter the incursions of the Aragonese and Saracens, commissioned by Charles, Duke of Calabria, son of Robert, King of Naples. In the 1500s, it took on a feudal function, and the local bishop used it as a summer residence.
Towards the end of the 1700s, the Ajeta marquises sold it to the Spinelli counts of Scalea. Today, it is possible to rent it for high-end vacations.
