June 17 Castle of Lipari

 

We walked up to the Castle of Lipari. It’s quite a complex - castle, citadel, a number of large churches in fact 5 which were once private family churches, and today there are museums and an archaeological park with stonework dating back to the Bronze age.

Part of the archeological park

Lipari has a tortured history being in turn invaded, decimated or occupied by Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Cathagians, Normans, Aragonese, Spaniards, and the Etruscans - in no particular order. They say that the site of the Castle of Lipari has been occupied since Neolithic times (4.000 BC) and was the origin of the ancient village of Lipari. 

We reached the castle walls. Caper bushes spilled down the side waving their pretty feathery flowers.

The ramparts were quite imposing

Inside the walls there were more steps!

Lindsay peering down at the port - long way down. A very strategic position.

Near the top of the citadel there was a terrace with shady trees - eucalyptus trees! It seems that Napoleon's Josephine is responsible for Australia’s eucalypts bring brought to the Mediterranean. They have naturalised to many countries.

Behind the facade and bell tower of the Duomo

Massive doors with bronze panels

Opulence in excess 

Marble in many hues

I did say opulence!

This sculpture is in silver and represents the saving of Lipari from starvation by a ship coming to port with grain and other goodies. It used to be taken out fir processions but not in current times.

Around C11th the Normans arrived to find only a small number of Greek-speaking people living there. They built the monastery and cloisters alongside the cathedral to St Bartholemew within the castle walls around 1130. In 1544 a Turkish fleet, after eleven days of siege, destroyed Lipari and deported 8,000 inhabitants as slaves. Of course the rebuild was bigger and better. And then came an earthquake! 

The cloisters

More caper bushes. They look so right here

These ancient coloured stone blocks blazed out from the shadows. Stunning

A large part of the cloisters was damaged by the quake and lay abandoned only to be rediscovered 40 odd years ago. It’s quite beautiful and tranquil and reminded me of Iona in Scotland which predates this I think. The existing columns come from earlier Roman houses. Also some ancient floor fragments remain. 

Back outside the views were stunning but we had to walk back down!

By the time we got back to the port we were pretty hot so we looked for and found a cool breezy spot for a cool drink and there we sat watching the sea swishing in and out in front of us.