Castiglione di Paludi, Archaeological site in Paludi, Italy.

Castiglione di Paludi is an archaeological site set on a hilltop roughly 8 kilometers from the Ionian Sea, featuring stone walls, circular towers, and a theater carved into the rock. The ruins display both residential quarters and fortification structures spanning different periods.

The necropolis dates to the 9th-8th century BCE, suggesting the site was inhabited by the Oenotrians, later destroyed by the Achaeans. The fortified centre belongs to the 4th-3rd century BCE. Oscan stamps on roof tiles point to a Bruttian centre, possibly Cossa, cited by Hecataeus of Miletus and in Caesar's De bello civili within the territory of Thurii.

Ceramic votive offerings found outside the main gate suggest this was a sacred space where residents made religious dedications. These rituals reveal the spiritual concerns that mattered to the people living here.

The archaeological park was inaugurated in 2016 after excavations ended in 1993 and a period of abandonment. Visitors walk among the walls, towers and rock-cut theater on an exposed hill about 8 km from the Ionian Sea. The site lies between the S. Elia and Scarmaci-S. Martino valleys, with little shade, so bring water and sun protection.

Inscriptions in the Oscan language found on roof tiles indicate this was a Bruttian settlement, possibly the ancient city of Cossa. These written traces allow archaeologists to piece together who lived here and what the place was called.