Castle of Charles V, Crotone, Medieval castle in Crotone, Italy.

The Castle of Charles V in Crotone is a medieval stone coastal fortress standing on a rocky spur directly above the Ionian Sea, surrounded by thick walls and several defensive towers. The layout is irregular and follows the natural shape of the promontory, giving the whole structure a compact and solid appearance.

The site was first fortified in the 9th century to protect the coastal town from pirate raids that regularly threatened communities along this shore. In the 16th century, Emperor Charles V ordered a major rebuilding that brought the defenses in line with the warfare methods of that era.

The castle houses a section of Crotone's civic museum, not a national one, along with the "Armando Lucifero" municipal library. The museum section displays finds from the area, and the library keeps the name of the Crotone scholar Armando Lucifero. The building is state property, entrusted to the Superintendence for Archaeological Assets of Calabria.

The castle stands at Piazza Castello 33 in Crotone's old town, reachable on foot from the historic centre. It is owned by the Italian state and managed by the Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici della Calabria. Inside are a section of the city museum and the Armando Lucifero municipal library, so check opening arrangements before setting out.

The castle's plan changed over time: a pentagonal layout with five towers was rebuilt from 1484 onward into a square form, work that lasted more than a century. Of the round-based towers added then, the Torre di Casicavallo survives; the Torre di Santa Maria was uncovered by excavations in 2010.