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The Civic Tower of Castelforte: the medieval keep between Suio and Ventosa
At the highest point of the historic centre of Castelforte, the Torre Civica—a medieval keep with a quadrangular base—stands directly upon the rock. It is the symbol of the city, and the pivotal piece of its ancient defensive system. From here, signals were sent to the towers of Suio and Ventosa to prevent invasions. It has no entrance door; access was gained through a small window high up. The top three or four rows of stones, destroyed during the Second World War, were reconstructed using stones of a slightly different colour.
The Bailiff's courtyard and the "Judea"
The area surrounding the tower was not only used for defence purposes; the administration of the medieval town was also run from here. To the left of the Church of San Giovanni Battista (St John the Baptist), there is a courtyard today named after Lord Baden-Powell (founder of the Scouting movement), following a resolution adopted by the Town Council in 2008. Originally, this was the baljo (bailey): the place where the bailiff (balivo), the medieval governor, administered the city. Shortly beyond, overlooking the precipice, lies an area called Judea. Local historical sources offer two hypotheses—it was either reserved for a small Jewish colony, or destined for refuse collection.
