Castel del Monte, Abruzzo

For other uses, see Castel del Monte.

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Castel del Monte 5-Jan.-07 by Brooke Nichols

Castel del Monte is a comune and town in the Province of L'Aquila in northern Abruzzo, Italy. Located in the heart of Italy's Gran Sasso, the medieval hill town is set into a steep hillside on Monte Bolza adjacent to the high plain of Campo Imperatore. Castel del Monte sits opposite the ancient mountaintop fortress of Rocca di Calascio and faces Monte Sirente in the distance. The town's elevation is 1346 meters or 4416 feet.

History

The name Castel del Monte is from the Latin "Castellum de Montis" or fortress between the mountains. The first evidence of human settlement are artifacts from the 11th century B.C.discovered in the valley beneath Castel del Monte and believed to be from an ancient necropolis. In the 4th century BC, Romans conquered the area and established Città delle Tre Corone, the name meaning "fortified town behind three walls". This town was later abandoned because of the Goth Migrations or Barbarian Invasions and replaced by the fortified town of Ricetto in what is now the oldest part of Castel del Monte.

The first recorded mention of Castellum Del Monte came in 1223 in a papal bull by Pope Honorius III. In 1298, the Counts of Aquaviva took possession of the town. In 1474, it passed to Alessandro Sforza and a short time later to the Piccolominis. In 1501, forces loyal to Spain plundered Castel del Monte because of the town's allegiance to France.

In 1579, the Piccolominis ceded the village as part of the Baronage of Carapelle to Francesco dei Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. The Medicis, who governed the baronage for over a century-and-a-half, left their imprint on Castel del Monte.

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Chiesa Madonna del Suffragio

Among the most notable Medici legacies to the town was the construction of Chiesa "Matrice" di San Marco in 1657, the church's tall tower being one of the dominant architectural features of Castel del Monte. Other Medici contributions include the painting of St. John the Baptist in Chiesa Madonna del Suffragio by Benardino di Lorenzo (circa 1585) commissioned by Francesco dei Medici, and the diminutive Chiesa di San Rocco built in 1656.

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Porta San Rocco, the main portal to historic Castel del Monte, until the end of the 19th Century, the town's five portals were shut each night to keep out bandits

The town’s massive defensive walls, largely formed by "wall houses", and its great entry portals, were also completed under this period of Medici rule.

In 1743, the baronage passed to Carlo di Borbone, then king of Naples and Sicily (later King Charles III of Spain). Castel del Monte remained under Spanish rule until the unification of Italy in 1861.

Castel del Monte's most notable resident in the 20th century was the shepherd-poet Francesco Giuliani who born in Castel del Monte in 1890 and died in 1975.

Population and Economy

According to ISTAT (the Italian Statistical Institute), Castel del Monte's resident population on December 31, 2006 was just 480, well below the town’s population in earlier centuries.

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A local resident playing the role of a witch in La Notte delle Streghe, the "Castellano" folk drama which attracts thousands of tourists

Until recent times, Castel del Monte’s economic wellbeing has been tied to sheep farming. Between the 12th century and 16th century, the area was one of the most prolific wool producers in Europe. This prosperity continued until the end of the Transhumance, an annual sheep drive south to Apulia, which ceased in the 1850s. Though Castel del Monte continued to produce wool, pecorino cheese and lamb, the economy never recovered to its pre-1850s level and the town’s population steadily declined. This population decline accelerated in the second half of the 20th century when significant numbers of Castel Del Monte’s residents migrated to French-speaking southern Belgium or "Wallonia", many to work in its coal mines. Others migrated to France, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In recent years, former residents who emigrated to French-speaking countries and their children have been returning to Castel del Monte with more frequency for vacations and, in some cases, to retire.

Tourism is central to Castel del Monte’s economic hopes. The absence of economic development in the 20th century meant there was little new construction in Castel del Monte within the past 100 years. As a result, most structures in Castel del Monte are several centuries old, and many are little changed from the Middle Ages or Renaissance. The creation of Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga in 1993, which Castel del Monte lies entirely within, assures that the land surrounding the town will remain forever wild, thus preserving Castel del Monte in a near pristine state. Castel del Monte's biggest tourist event is La Notte delle Streghe or The Night of the Witches, an annual event for which the town is well-known. Held in mid-August, thousands visit the town for the late-night spectacle where the entire historic district serves as a stage for residents who play the roles of townspeople and witches in a folk drama in the local dialect known as "Castellano".

In 2006, Castel del Monte was named one of "I Borghi Piu belli D’Italia", the most beautiful villages of Italy. In return for this honor, the town agreed to promote historic preservation and environmental protection.

Photo Gallery

• Approaching Castel del Monte
  Approaching Castel del Monte
• 
  Castel del Monte, 11-Jan.-07, the tower of Chiesa "Matrice" di San Marco can be seen above the historic hill town
• Chiesa di San Rocco, built adjacent to the town's main portal after the plague of 1656 in thanks to the saint believed to have freed Italy from the pestilence
  Chiesa di San Rocco, built adjacent to the town's main portal after the plague of 1656 in thanks to the saint believed to have freed Italy from the pestilence
• Typical cobblestone street in centro storico
  Typical cobblestone street in centro storico
• 
  A small piazza near Chiesa Madonna del Suffragio
• One of Castel del Monte's half-dozen cultural heritage museums, photographed in a winter snow squall
  One of Castel del Monte's half-dozen cultural heritage museums, photographed in a winter snow squall
• Another of the town's heritage museums at Rua del Muto (Street of the Mute), one of the oldest streets in Castel del Monte
  Another of the town's heritage museums at Rua del Muto (Street of the Mute), one of the oldest streets in Castel del Monte
• 
  Centro storico doors and windows by Brooke Nichols
• Looking down from the edge of Campo Imperatore onto Castel del Monte, the ruins of Rocca Calascio can be seen on the peak in the background
  Looking down from the edge of Campo Imperatore onto Castel del Monte, the ruins of Rocca Calascio can be seen on the peak in the background
• Maremmano-Abruzzese sheepdogs sheepdogs just outside the town guard their flock from wolves and other predators
  Maremmano-Abruzzese sheepdogs sheepdogs just outside the town guard their flock from wolves and other predators

External links

• Official site
• I Borghi Piu belli D’Italia
• "The Night of the Witches" festival, La Notte delle Streghe

42°22′N 13°43′E