THE highest Crusader castle in Cyprus is Buffavento, which stands at 970 metres above sea level and is sited between the castles of Kantara to the east and St Hilarion to the west.
Its name derives from Italian, and roughly means Defies The Winds, a title whose significance becomes apparent as soon as one starts climbing the approximately 600 steps to the top.
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| It is a long way up from where the coach dropped me |
There is a false moment of elation on reaching the outer gate, but the steepest part of the climb is still to be tackled.
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| Buffavento's outer gate |
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| View from the outer gate |
A last burst of steps takes one to the top, from which there are even more-spectacular views.
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| Nearing the peak |
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| Overlooking lower parts of the castle |
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| Lingering snow at the top |
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| Looking to the Turkish coast |
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| Parts of the castle, which may date back to the 1000s or earlier, are quite well-preserved |
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| Signals were sent along the narrow Kyrenia mountain range by smoke and large mirrors during the day, and by fire at night |
As with Kantara and St Hilarion castles, Buffavento's watchtower-role against Muslim attacks fell into disuse when Venice took over the island and switched to a coastal defensive system.
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