Dungeons of the Norman Castle

Defensive galleries in the area of the Norman Castle of Catanzaro, close to the Church of San Giovanni.

The Gallerie del San Giovanni, built on the remains of the Norman Castle (about 1070), have undergone different uses over the centuries, first as a hospital, around the sixteenth century, thanks to the congregation of the Whites of Santa Croce, then as convent by the Teresian Fathers, around the middle of the seventeenth century, to later become the seat of the offices of the military engineers and, finally, of the prison.

The underground walkways, mysterious and exuding a past still unknown to many, partially brought to light, had not only to allow the Signoria in the past an easy connection with the other moment of power, the religious one, but also to allow the easy movement of soldiers in case of attack or flight.

The tunnels completed a redevelopment project in 2017.

The main interventions carried out concerned the redevelopment of part of the tunnels and adjacent underground rooms overlooking Corso Mazzini, through specific interventions of recovery and rehabilitation of the intrados of the vaults, of plaster, and reconstruction of the floors and underlying crawl spaces.

Map: Dungeons of the Norman Castle