Amantea Caslte, Medieval fortress on coastal hilltop in Amantea, Italy

Amantea Castle is a ruined fortress on the hill above Amantea, in the province of Cosenza, Calabria, controlling the coastal road and the route to Cosenza along the Catocastro valley. It is reached by steep paths from the town, and the remains include angular towers and an oval keep called San Nicola.

The Byzantines first fortified the site after 553, and in 846 the Sicilian Arabs conquered it and renamed it Al-Mantiah, making it an emirate for forty years. The Normans took it in 1060–1061, and Frederick II strengthened the castle in the 13th century. It was abandoned after the Napoleonic siege of 1806–1807.

The name Amantea comes from the Arabic Al-Mantiah, "the fortress", given after the 846 conquest of Nepetia; the town stayed Arab for forty years as the seat of an emirate, and only one emir is known by name, As-Sinsim, latinised as Cincimo, who in 868 tried to take Cosenza. In 1630-1633 and again in 1647 the townspeople appealed to the court of Madrid to block the sale of Amantea as a fief, defending its status as a royal domain city.

The ruins sit above the town and can only be reached on foot by climbing steep paths from the center of Amantea. Sturdy footwear is a good idea, as the ground can be uneven and some sections of the walls are fragile.

The name Amantea comes from the Arabic Al-Mantiah, "the fortress", given after the Sicilian Arabs took Nepetia in 846. The town stayed Arab for forty years as the seat of an emirate; only one emir is known by name, As-Sinsim (Latinised Cincimo), who in 868 tried to take Cosenza. The Byzantines retook the town in 885–886.