Ok. So, maybe that was triple duty … but I think you get the gist.

Le Castella engulfs a tiny island in the province of Crotone in a sleepy village of the same name. There are few markers and tourism-except in July and August-is minimal and the friendly villagers of Le Castella are oblivious to the fame of its namesake landmark.

While the origins of Le Castella are lost in time, legend links the castle to mythical Ogygia, the island where the sea goddess Calypso lived when she held Ulysses hostage over a period of seven years.

Other sources claim the Carthage military leader Hannibal erected the tower during his retreat from the Roman army as part of an encampment used to protect his wartime interests.

Yet, others claim the fortress was constructed by Taranto and given to Hannibal as a look-out post by those intolerant of the Roman Empire.

Over the following centuries, Le Castella was occupied by Arabs who had created an emirate in nearby Squillace. Like much of Calabria and southern Italy, it later fell to the Argonese in a plundering of the village lead against Pietro Ruffo, count of Catanzaro.

Today, Le Castella stands, glistening n the sun that reflect off of the Ionian waters, as a strong reminder of an uncertain past, that through centuries of war and attempted destruction, has never waned  and is unyielding in its optimism of a bright future.