El Castillo De Lamas, A Medieval Castle in Northern Peru.
The Lamas Castle, Located in Lamas: a small jungle town which is located around 28 km north of the city of Tarapoto. situated in the San Martín Province of the San Martín Region in Northern Peru.
Beautiful and yet Almost surreal, the initial impression could be that it doesn´t fit on its surrounding , though afterwards one realizes that the town of Lamas has been inhabited by different civilizations during the last thousand years: Pocras, Chahapoyas, Chancas, Incas, Spanish, European and Asian immigrants . . . ¿what is 'local' then? And moreover, when the Italian owner explains that he always dreamed on having a castle when a kid, and then he retired early realizing work wouldn´t make his dreams true, but just make his life vanish while forgetting them, and put hands to the work of building the castle of his childhoods dreams, and open it to visitors for a modest fee (5 soles adults, 3 children, about 2 dollars) It has been built by local craftsmen and artists, will soon open some rooms as a boutique hotel. A nearby attraction is 'Lyria' plantation, an estate devoted now by its owner to Amazonic ecosystem restoration and cultural center, whose main house is on Italian renaissance style.
It’s not often that you get to see a medieval European castle in a small town in the Peruvian jungle. The Castillo de Lamas (Lamas Castle) is a bizarre sight, rising up not far from the main square of this culturally important town. The castle is open to the public and seems to be a hit with the locals. Some visitors may find the building to be completely out of place in such a traditional town, but it certainly makes for an interesting photo opportunity. Ask for the Castillo and the local Lamistas will point the way.