The Malaspina Castle in Osilo sits in the centre of the town, 650 m a.s.l. at the top of Monte Tuffudesu. The Malaspina family built the castle in the XII century.
The Malaspina family, originally from Lunigiana, was active in Sardinia from the XII century onwards, thanks to a prudent political marriage, and managed to hold power on the island in the XIII/XIV centuries.
The castle was at the heart of disputes between the Arborense and the Aragonese, often changing owner until it gradually fell into disuse towards the XV century. In 1720, the whole of Sardinia fell under the domination of the House of Savoy. Generous funding recently allowed for it to be restored.
The Castello di Osilo extends out in an elongated oval layout and probably covered an area of 1,000 m2. Very little remains today of its original shape: a tower whose elevations can be admired, the lower part of a second tower and the perimeter walls of the additional rooms.
Originally, the structure had a defence wall. This wall had a terrace at the top, where you could walk along, protected externally by a parapet. A third tower appeared in an Aragonese drawing from 1358, but its existence has never been fully confirmed. Not much can be said of the internal division of the spaces given the scarceness of the remains.
The castle can be accessed up a stone staircase from via Adelasia. A request can be made to the Osilo town council for the castle to be opened to the public.
