The imposing and towering Charles V Castle has dominated the monopoli waterfront since 1552. Built during the Spanish denomination of the city, it is a fortress commissioned by Emperor Charles V and cared for by Viceroy Don Pedro of Toledo. It began as a military outpost for the defence of the surrounding territory, but in 1660 it became a residential facility for Spanish military families. From 1831 to 1969 it was used as a district prison and then remained abandoned until 1979 when the municipal administration promoted restoration work. Since 1998, it has been open to the public and serves as both a cultural venue and a municipal venue for civil weddings.

The castle has a pentagonal layout enriched by bastions rising at the five vertices. The main entrance is at a cylindrical tower of Roman form, pre-dating the construction of the fortress. Under the loggia of the pentagonal bastion is a stone coat of arms with the date 1552 and the name of the viceroy who built the complex. The manor consists mainly of two levels that conceal evocative rooms such as the tower room or the armoury room, characterised by four embrasures, two of which face the open sea and two of which face the harbour.

Along the fortified walls of the castle is the bastion of Santa Maria on which cannons from the Gaeta fortress, destroyed by the Piedmontese at the time of Unification, were placed.

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