Buffavento Castle is one of the most dramatic and remote medieval fortresses on Cyprus. Perched high on a steep peak of the Kyrenia mountain range, Buffavento Castle dominates the landscape with a sense of isolation, strength and silence. Its name, often translated as “Castle of the Winds,” perfectly reflects the exposed and commanding position of this remarkable site.
Unlike coastal strongholds, Buffavento Castle was never designed to impress through size alone. Its true power lay in its altitude, inaccessibility and strategic visibility across large parts of the island.
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Kantara Castle is one of the most dramatic and strategically important medieval fortresses on Cyprus.
Perched high on the eastern edge of the Kyrenia mountain range, Kantara Castle commands breathtaking views over both the northern coastline and the long stretch of the Karpaz Peninsula.
For visitors interested in medieval history, mountain landscapes and panoramic viewpoints, Kantara Castle offers an experience that combines architecture, nature and strategic significance in a truly unique way.
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St. Hilarion Castle Cyprus stands at 732m and is very well preserved. Walls and towers seem to grow randomly out of the rock, giving the castle a fairytale appearance. It is even said that Walt Disney used it as a model for the castle in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
The castle is named after a hermit who fled Palestine in the 7th century to live up here and rid the mountain of pagan demons. The story goes that the hermit was deaf and so easily resisted the seductive calls of the demons that haunted the mountain. Eventually the demons gave in and left Hilarion and the mountain alone. A Byzantine monastery and later a fortress were built around his tomb.
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