The islet on which the fortress of Le Castella stands is located at the eastern end of the Gulf of Squillace, in the environmental context of significant naturalistic value of the Marine Protected Area of Capo Rizzuto , established in 1991. Connected to the coast by a thin strip of land, creates a suggestive scenographic symbiosis between built architecture and natural architecture.

The original nucleus dates back to the Angevin age, to which the massive cylindrical tower would be attributable, which today appears in its sixteenth-century definition dominating the fortress complex with its grandeur. The 13th century structure, built to defend the gulf of Capo Rizzuto, is part of the system of fortifications wanted by the Angevins. Towards the end of the 15th century the fortress passed into the hands of the Aragonese and between 1510 and 1526 Count Carafa built the quadrangular bastions spurred and resewed according to Spanish construction practices.

The tower, divided into three floors connected by a spiral staircase which has remained intact in the large perimeter wall, has a cavity at the base for the collection and conservation of rainwater.

Characteristic inside the fortress are the remains of an urban agglomeration, a sort of small village with shops and the ruins of a small church, called Cappella del Borgo, built in the Aragonese age.