Imposing and well-preserved, built on a prominent and strategic location overlooking the Amvrakikos Gulf, the Ionian Sea and Epirus, the castle of Vonitsa is one of the region’s leading monuments and a trademark of the city.
It has been characterized as a prominent Byzantine monument, erected on a hill - in an ellipsoidal shape, in an area totalling some 25 acres and at an altitude of 65m, with a very strong wall, and perfectly in harmony with the morphology of the hill so that it remains mighty and invulnerable.
The initial phase of its creation can be traced back to the Middle Byzantine period (end of the 9th century to the middle of the 11th century), while its decisive alterations and additions occurred mainly in the 17th and 18th centuries, most of them by the Venetians.
Spatially, its layout was the typical tripartite of Middle Byzantine castle-states, with an upper citadel, a lower citadel and the fortified lower city, which was the center of urban life.
Beyond a commanding view, the visitor is impressed by the almost circular chapel, dedicated to Agia Sophia, and the very neat and distinct path within the castle walls.
Vonitsa castle is considered one of the best-preserved Byzantine and medieval castles in Western Greece and the country as a whole.
