Aerial View of Malaspina Castle – Osilo, Sardinia, Italy
Osilo is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Sassari in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 170 kilometres (110 mi) north of Cagliari and about 10 kilometres (6 mi) east of Sassari.
The commune is part of the Anglona traditional historical region of northern Sardinia. Within the territory of the municipality lie the hamlets of Santa Vittoria and San Lorenzo.
Osilo is the home of Osilo pecorino, an internationally recognized cheese. Sights include Malaspina Castle (Castello dei Malaspina) and several churches.
The castle of the Malaspina family stands on the summit of Mount Tuffudesu, in the municipality of Osilo. The entire surrounding area is dense with significant archaeological sites dating back to prehistoric times.
There is no certain data on the construction of the castle. Hypothetically it could be dated to the 12th century.
In 1272 the fortification appears among the possessions of the Malaspina family, originally from Lunigiana, whose arrival in Sardinia dates back to 1016 during the expedition against the Arabs led by Museto.
As a result of this expedition, the Malaspina received as a reward, from the Holy See, a series of lands on which they had fortifications built. One of these was the castle of Osilo, guarding the frontiers of Anglona, Nurra and Gallura.
The castle has a long history. In this video we can see Malaspina Castle from the air.
Video Source: Complesso Nuragico di Illoi (Sedilo – Sardinia) aerial drone from Simon Ska on Youtube ⁄ CC BY
