Acquaviva Castle

Built between the 15th and early 16th century, Nardò’s Acquaviva Castle was commissioned by Giovanni Antonio Acquaviva d’Aragona to fortify the city after the Turkish invasions of 1480.\n\nOne of the castle’s unique features is the “almond-shaped turret”, once an effective military architectural solution that enhanced the defense of the curtain wall. Constructed with a rectangular layout, it boasts four large corner turrets, while the façade displays 19th-century rustication, a balcony adorned with caryatids, and splendid friezes decorating the upper cornice.\n\nThe manor underwent major transformations in the late 19th century under the Personè barons, who lived there until it became the Town Hall. A wide moat once encircled the building, but when it became a noble residence, it was filled in and turned into a garden — today’s Villa Comunale.