IT-535028

Lets continue with castles. Everytime I travel I need to visit castles and Stefano gave me 8 great reasons to visit Abruzzo. This region of Southern Italy, has its share of castles, some of them are just glorious ruins while others have been beautifully restored. 

Photo: Mario di Martino

IT-535028, sent by Stefano.

1 * Castello Cantelmo-Caldora - This Middle Ages castle in Pacentro was built before the 14th-15th century. The base of the castle is with a trapezoidal shape. In the corners there are towers with a squared base: as of today, only three of them are still in place;

2 * Castello di Celano - One of the best-preserved ancient military structures in Abruzzo, the fortress dates back to the 14th century;  

3 * Castello aragonese - The Renaissance castle in Ortona  dates back to the 13th century. The castle was defensive until the 17th century when it was bought by the Baglioni family as a noble residence. A gentile palace was built inside the walls, which in the 19th century fell abandoned. Since then the castle was used as a workshop and powder. In 1943 during the Battle of Ortona, the castle was hit by German bombs and American grenades. The gunpowder stored inside made the structure explode, all over the top of the walls and the noble palace skyrocketed. In '46 a landslide destroyed almost half of the castle; 

4 * Castello di Roccascalegna - The castle was principally constructed in the 15th and 16th centuries. It’s known as the Castle in the Sky because of its location on a rocky ledge that overlooks the valley that goes from the Apennines to the Adriatic Sea.

5 * Forte Spagnolo - The massive castle in the highest part of L'Aquila, was erected in 1534 by the Spanish viceroy Don Pedro de Toledo, when the town had become the second most powerful city in the Kingdom after Naples. In 2016, home to the National Museum of Abruzzo;

6 * Castello ducale di Crecchio - The castle was built by the Lombards in the eighth century, and later went into the possession of the Normans.  The castle has been through many turmoils: plundered and pillaged by Saracen pirates and feuding lords, damaged by earthquakes and reduced to rubble by the Allied forces, it rose from the ashes after a thorough restoration in the 1970s.

7 * Castello di Beffi - dates back to 1185, although the structure we see today dates from the 12th – 13th centuries. The building comprises an impressive tower from which extends a fortified area that houses several residential structures and was once the home of the feudal lord, the members of the guard and the population;

8 * Rocca Calascio - Built in the 10th century, Rocca Calascio has been named one of the most beautiful castles in the world by National Geographic. It is also the most photographed place in the region.