Corigiano Castle

Attested on the southeastern slope of the ancient circle of walls, the Castello de' Monti of Corigliano d'Otranto represents, in the words of G. Bacile di Castiglione, the "most beautiful monument of military and feudal architecture of the beginning of the 16th century in Terra d'Otranto," and it is certainly the most accomplished model of the transition from square to round towers: in fact, the castle has a quadrangular layout with four corner towers with an escarpment base and three levels of fire, surrounded by a deep moat. The central part of the main elevation is characterized by an advanced central body with the entrance portal surmounted by a very elegant balcony and then by three niches, the central one with the statue of the commissioning feudal lord, the lateral ones with the allegorical figures of Charity and Justice. The castle was enriched in the 17th century with a Baroque elevation, evident from the highly decorated niches and windows.