Castello De Sanctis (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

for ''De Sanctis Castle'') is a

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

castle in

Roccacasale Roccacasale (locally ''La Rocca'') is a ''comune'' in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Built on the slopes of the Monte della Rocca in the central Apennines, the village overlooks the Peligna Valley and the town of Sulmona ...

Province of L'Aquila The province of L'Aquila () is the largest, most mountainous and least densely populated Provinces of Italy, province of the Abruzzo region of Italy. It comprises about half the landmass of Abruzzo and occupies the western part of the region. It ...

(

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, ; ; , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; ), historically also known as Abruzzi, is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy with an area of 10,763 square km (4,156 sq mi) and a population of 1.3 million. It is divided into four ...

History

Tradition holds that the castle was built in 925 AD by the Counts of

Spoleto Spoleto (, also , , ; ) is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east-central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is south of Trevi, north of Terni, southeast of Perugia; southeast of Florence; and north of Rome. H ...

to control access to the

Val di Sangro Atessa Val di Sangro A.S.D. 2012 is an Italian association football club from Atessa, Abruzzo. It currently plays only in the youth sector: the main team is that of ''Allievi Regionali Abruzzo'' in the group B. History The former Atessa Val ...

and the Altopiano delle Cinquemiglia. Between the

and the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

, the castle fell under the control of the Cantelmo family, and at the end of the

16th century The 16th century began with the Julian calendar, Julian year 1501 (represented by the Roman numerals MDI) and ended with either the Julian or the Gregorian calendar, Gregorian year 1600 (MDC), depending on the reckoning used (the Gregorian calend ...

it passed to the Barons De Sanctis until 1803, when it was destroyed by the French. From 1994 to 1996, the castle was restored by the Municipality of Roccacasale, taking care of both the pedestrian access path and the remains, in addition to the creation of a structure that since 2004 has housed the ''Museum of Documentation and Popular Traditions''.

Architecture

The castle overlooks the road between

Popoli Terme Popoli Terme (previously Popoli) is a ''comune'' and town in the province of Pescara, in the Italian region of Abruzzo. History Though the site has not revealed significant Roman presence it appears in a ninth-century document as ''borgo di Pag ...

and

Sulmona Sulmona (; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of L'Aquila, in the Italy, Italian region of Abruzzo. It is located in the Valle Peligna, a plain once occupied by a lake that disappeared in prehistoric times. In the ancient era, it was ...

. It is a typical enclosure castle, similar to many others on the Altopiano di Navelli, such as San Pio delle Camere,

Barisciano Barisciano ( Abruzzese: '; ), is a comune and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It is located in the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park. Main sights * Castle *Monastery of San Colombo. Today it house ...

, or Fossa. The plan of the walls is triangular, and at the highest vertex of the triangle, there is a spur, partially collapsed, with a trapezoidal plan. The entrance to the castle, located along the downhill side facing the village, is controlled by a square tower, lacking the inner side. Unlike other enclosure castles in the province of L'Aquila, Roccacasale also has the remains of a baronial palace, indicating its use not only during times of danger for the village it defended. Continuous presence in the castle is also evidenced by other remains found within the enclosure, such as cisterns and foundations of other dwellings.

References

External links

* De Sanctis Roccacasale {{Italy-castle-stub