Beautiful vintage Buffavento castle is located on one of the mountain peaks in the Northern part of Cyprus near the town of Girne (Kyrenia) at an altitude of 950 meters above sea level. Due to which it got its poetic name, which in Italian means "protection from wind" or "defied the wind".

This structure was built in the Kyrenia mountains, between the castles of Kantara and St. Hilarion to protect territories from Arab raids. Due to this arrangement of fortifications was easy enough to control the most important mountain crossings – between the castles was established a special system alerts via signal lights.

Originally the castle was built, as historians believe, by Byzantines in the eleventh century. Later, after the territory came under the control of Lusignan in the XIV century, Buffavento was rebuilt and fortified. It is the French began to use it as a prison for dangerous criminals, which he called "the Castle of the lion". According to some sources, the majority of prisoners died there of starvation. However, after a short time, when Buffavento passed into the hands of the Venetians, he ceased to play such a significant role in the defense of the territory and was gradually abandoned.

Buffavento consisted of two levels – the lower one housed a barracks and warehouses, which was accessed through a large arched gate. About 20 minute walk from the gate was on the upper level, where there were other buildings, including the chapel.

Today the castle remains, unfortunately, only ruins. However, this place is worth to go there – the view from there is truly mesmerizing.