Castello di San Terenzo

About

The Castle of San Terenzo stands in a commanding position over the fishing village of San Terenzo, in the Gulf of Poets in the province of La Spezia. The castle rises on a low rocky spur overlooking the sea, in a picturesque landscape setting, and in addition to telling its history to visitors, it hosts events, exhibitions, and other cultural activities. The origins of the fortification are likely lost in the central centuries of the Middle Ages, when Saracen pirate raids were far from rare on all the coasts of the Peninsula. This period is probably echoed in both the tradition of an attempted raid by the 'Turks' on the village of San Terenzo, which was fiercely repelled by the inhabitants, and the name given to a cave on the underlying promontory: the 'Turks' Den.' The earliest evidence in written documents, however, is much later: in 1360 we know that a certain Rossi was the castellan of the village.