During the ducal period (957 – 1131), the entire northern part of the Amalfi territory was protected by a solid defensive wall consisting of a series of castles. These were placed on strategic hills, in positions that allowed communication from both sides, so that alarm signals could be received and transmitted.
The Amalfi castrum featured a surrounding dwall, with towers and entrance gates, and it contained cultivated land, farmhouses, castrensian churches and, in some cases, even monasteries. The town of Amalfi was protected from the rear by castrum Scalelle and castrum Pigellule. The latter stretched over the western hillside of the city and included the entire present-day village of Pogerola. All that remains of the ancient fortification, which was built in 1021, is the square-based Torre Pogerola (15th century) and a section of the surrounding wall, hidden among the trees in the surrounding woods. The tower incorporated the Convent of San Sebastiano, which dates back to the 10th century.
