Gamberale Castle
| Gamberale Castle | ||
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 View from the Church of San Lorenzo, with the Castello di Gamberale in the background |
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| Creation time : | 14th Century | |
| Castle type : | Hilltop castle | |
| Conservation status: | restored | |
| Construction: | Quarry stone | |
| Place: | Gamberale | |
| Geographical location | 41 ° 54 '16 " N , 14 ° 12' 36.9" E | |
| Height: | 1350 m slm | |
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The Castello di Gamberale is a small hilltop castle in the Italian municipality of Gamberale in the province of Chieti . The castle stands at the highest point of the mountain peak in the old town, surrounded by stone houses from the 18th century. It dominates the valley named after the Sangro river at an altitude of about 1350 m slm
history
The castle was built in the 14th century. In the 13th century there was already a small observation tower, probably from Norman times, that was built with the arrival of the Neapolitan barons of Capua , who replaced the monks of Gamerrano .
The castle passed through the hands of various barons: initially owned by Raimondo d'Annecchino , it fell to Giovanni Maria d'Annecchino in the 16th century . Later it belonged to Giovanni Crispano and was sold to Baron Giuseppe Mellucci for 500 ducats . It then fell to the Marchese Odoardo Benedetti , a nobleman from the province of L'Aquila , and finally on April 14, 1777 to the Mascitellis from Atessa , who were the last feudal lords of this place.
In the centuries that followed, the castle fortress served as a prison and headquarters to monitor the valley. In 1944, during World War II , it was occupied by the Nazis when they retreated towards Castel di Sangro to pursue the Gustav Line . The buildings were damaged in the bombing of the Germans and the Allies and the wing that hung over the valley of Sant'Angelo del Pesco collapsed. The later earthquake of 1984 caused the watchtower to collapse, but it was reconstructed using modern technology, trying to remember the medieval original. An inscription on the main facade reminds that the castle was restored in 1881 thanks to Pasquale Bucci . Further restorations were carried out after the destruction of World War II and the earthquake of 1984, which gave the castle its current, pseudo-medieval appearance.
description
The castle has a central building with a rectangular floor plan with a semicircular side, similar to an apse . The stone bastions survived the destruction of the centuries, as did the massive columns of the vestibule on the facade and the paving of the forecourt. The rectangular windows are modern in style. The turret with its arched windows is provided with round clocks and a radio antenna for the village. The facades are painted white, which contrasts with the natural stone parts. The tower has stone battlements . Inside, a hall, presumably from an older church, was converted into a meeting room for the community. The interiors are decorated with monumental wall paintings by the contemporary artist Morena Antonucci . The gutters let in traces of moisture.
