Rocca Calascio in Abruzzo, Italy
© Francesco Russo/eStock Phot
A fortress in the sky
Beginning as a lone watchtower high in the Apennines in the 10th century, the fortress called Rocca Calascio gained more heft over the next few hundred years. A quartet of additional towers and heavy walls were gradually added around the first tower. These fortifications made clear that Rocco Calascio was ready for any military rivals who might scale the slopes from the valley below to attack this garrison. The fight never came. The ruins you see here are not battle scars but the result of powerful earthquakes. By the early 1700s, Rocca Calascio was abandoned, but it can still claim the title of highest fortress in the Apennines—and some of the most spectacular views in all of Italy. In fact, filmmakers have chosen the site for several movies, including 'The Name of the Rose' and 'Ladyhawke.'
Related Images
Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state, USA
Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, China
Coast redwoods in Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, California
Hope Valley, Peak District, England
Old town of Tallinn, Estonia
At the top of Mount Fuji in Japan. Happy New Year!
An old farm in the Shetland Islands, Scotland
Mua Caves in the Ninh Bình province of Vietnam
Bing Today Images
