Burgs and castles
The landscape of L’Aquila is full of burgs and castles, most of which are still standing. The L’Aquila’s Spanish Castle is the largest fortress in the region, constructed in 1534 by the Spanish Vice-roy following the plans of Don Pirro Luis Escribà. The massive castle, a fine example of military architecture perfectly preserved, was built at the expense of the people of L’Aquila in punishment for their revolt against the Spanish garrison in 1527. Today it houses the Museo Nazionale d’Abruzzo, with, sections devoted to sacred art, Roman antiquity, modern art, and a celebrated mammoth discovered nearby. A concert hall and congress hall have been created in two of the casemates, while the others contain an interesting display of Roman objects discovered nearby and the mammoth unique in being found so far south. The oldest burg still in good conditions, with all its wonderful architecture still intact, is Santo Stefano di Sessanio, dated at about 1038. A huge cylindrical tower overtops all of the buildings. In the XVI century it was held by the Medici family, as we can see by the coat of arms still present on the walls.
Not too far from Santo Stefano we can find Rocca Calascio, a stronghold more than a castle, that dominates the countryside from its height of 1460 meters, now in ruins, but once a masterpiece of military architecture and one of the highest of all Italian castle. Two of the four towers were built on the edge of a huge ravine, creating an interesting visual effect: the towers look like they’re made of the same stone as the wall of the ravine. A little curiosity: the stronghold is the set of the famous movie “Lady Hawke”.
On the other hand, the castle of Pizzoli is dated at about 1600, due to structural renovations. On the inside, there’s an interesting pentagonal medieval tower.
The castle of Ocre is one of the few that haven’t been dated, due to lack of information. However, it is a wonderful example of “terra murata”. The burg has been built on the inside of the city walls, rather than on the outside as was customary. The castle of Ocre, even more impressively sited on the necropolis of the pre-Roman city of Aveia and visible from l’Aquila, provides a spectacular view of the entire “shell” of the valley of Aterno. It was destroyed by the people of L’Aquila in 1280, and rebuilt by Fortebraccio Da Montone in 1424.
Not far is the castle of Fossa, unfortunately almost destroyed, dated at about 1200. It is thought to have had a triangular base, surrounded by walls, with four quadrangular towers and a circular donjon, that must have been the primary tower.
Still nearby, we can find Sant’Eusanio Forconese, almost completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1461. The remains of the cylindrical towers that made up the primary defense of the castle are still visible.
In the Subequana valley, following the Aterno river, after the remains of the castle of Fagnano Alto, there is a splendid example of a medieval burg: Fontecchio, with its castle, Castrum Fonticulorum, also medieval. On the inside, a quadrangular tower named “Torre Dei Santi” (Tower of the Saints), that has on its top one of the oldest clocks in Italy.
Tione, with Beffi di Acciano, holds many square-based towers, among the oldest found in the region.
Still in the valley, overshadowing the respective towns, there are the castles of Castelvecchio Subequo, Castel di Ieri and Gagliano Aterno. The construction of the last one was ordered by Isabella Da Celano around 1328.
The plateau of Navelli displays other characteristic buildings: the castle of Barisciano and the nearby castle of San Pio Delle Camere represent two great examples of defensive architecture, dated at about 1200-1300.
In the vicinity, there are the castle of Bominaco and the tower of Caporciano, raised near two of the oldest and most beautiful churches of Abruzzo: San Pellegrino and the Benedictine Abbey of Santa Maria Assunta.
The castle of Navelli, built around 1500, loses the usual defensive function to become a residence for the nobles. The castle of Capestrano, too, suffered the same fate in 1465. Its inner courtyard holds a large well and a stairway leading to the upper floors.
Worth of mention is also the castle of Celano, built between the mountain and the fertile plains of the Fucino, 20 minutes by car away from L’Aquila, also known as “Castello Piccolomini”, from the name of the nephew of Pope Pius II, Antonio Tedesco Piccolomini. This splendid XIV century structure hosts the “museo d’arte sacra della Marsica” (Marsican Holy Art Museum)
