The Castillo de la Duquesa stands at the edge of the Puerto de la Duquesa marina, a compact 18th-century defensive tower with Roman foundations. The castle is well preserved and periodically open to visitors; its upper terrace gives good views over the marina, the beach, and westward toward Gibraltar on clear days. The surrounding plaza is a pleasant place to sit, and the castle's base is flanked by the restaurant terrace of the marina. Even from outside, the layered history is readable: Roman stonework at the base, later Moorish-era modifications, and the 18th-century Spanish tower on top.
Castillo de la Duquesa
A story
The castle was built in the 18th century on the foundations of a Roman fort, itself constructed to guard the nearby sulphurous springs at Hedionda. The Duchess (Duquesa) after whom it is named was a noblewoman who held the lands in the early modern period — giving her name to both the fort and the marina that grew up beside it centuries later.