The Castello di Rapallo is the town's most photographed landmark: a small sixteenth-century fort sitting on a rocky islet just off the promenade, connected to the seafront by a short causeway. The castle is compact — built as a watchtower and gun platform rather than a residence — but its position is excellent, with walls dropping straight into the sea on three sides and the Ligurian hills behind the town as a backdrop.
The interior is used for temporary exhibitions, usually art or local history. The exterior walk around the islet takes ten minutes and gives the best angles on the castle and the surrounding bay. It is busiest in early July, when the festival of the Madonna di Montallegro uses the castle as the centrepiece for one of the most spectacular fireworks displays on the Riviera.