Fodor's Expert Review Castello Aragonese

The massive Aragonese Castle is considered a masterpiece of 16th-century military architecture. Rebuilt by the Spanish viceroy Don Pedro di Toledo in 1535 after it was badly damaged in the siege of Otranto (1480), when invading Ottoman armies destroyed the city, its impressive walls and bastions dominate the port and seashore. Escape the heat with a walk around its cool interiors and more fascinating cellars (underground tours available for extra €4) that snake around its recently landscaped moats. Various art and photographic exhibitions are held here in the summer, although it lacks engaging interpretation materials.