The castle of Riomaggiore is part of the typical panorama of the village as you sinuously descend along the paved road or along the path that plunges steeply from the provincial road towards the village. Also called "Castellazzo di Cerricò", due to its position on the hill of the same name, it is a defensive fortification dating back to the thirteenth century. Built in 1260 by the Turcotti marquises, it was completed by the Republic of Genoa in the 15th-16th after the dominion of Nicolò Fieschi. With a quadrilateral base with the longer sides slightly converging towards the sea, the two large and squat circular towers stand out along the walls. In fact, only the curtain wall remains of the castle, due to its troubled fate. At the beginning of the 19th century, with Napoleone, it was filled with earth and used as a cemetery.
Recently renovated, today it hosts educational and cultural activities.