With a footprint of almost 25 hectares the Castle of Mytilene is one of the largest strongholds in the Mediterranean.

Its foundations date back to the rule of Emperor Justinian in the 6th century, and these may have been constructed on Ancient Greek acropolis.

In the 14th century the castle the Queen’s Tower here was the residence of Francesco I Gattilusio, the Genoese ruler of Lesbos.