Castle of Monopoli, Coastal fortress in Monopoli, Italy

The Castle of Monopoli, also called Castello Carlo V, is a 16th-century fortress completed in 1552 on Punta Pinna. Its plan has pentagonal bastions at five corners, a cylindrical tower reached by a small ramp, and cannon ports set from roof level down to the waterline. The great sala d'armi holds four smoothbore Neapolitan howitzers of 1,400 kg from the early 19th century.

The fortress was built in the 16th century as part of a defensive network protecting the Adriatic coast under imperial direction. It emerged during an era when sea raids threatened the region and fortifications were essential for coastal settlement defense.

The rock church of San Nicola in Pinna, in the castle's lower level, was founded around the end of the 10th century by a Monopoli resident named Sassone, possibly after he was widowed and took vows. It has a single nave, one apse and a central dome, and its left outer facade, partly visible from the central staircase, keeps traces of Romanesque corbels. The name Pinna, also written Promontorium in documents, refers to the promontory tip where the complex stood.

The site sits within a busy harbor town and lies about 1.5 kilometers from the railway station, making it accessible by public transit. Check ahead about opening times and scheduled events, as the fortress regularly hosts exhibitions and cultural programs.

In the 1700s an unknown historian recorded that coral was fished in abundance in the waters beneath the castle. A later resident, Martino Coquemont, colonel in the armies of Ferdinand IV of Naples, died there in 1773 at the age of 101.