Castello Piccolomini (
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 ''Piccolomini 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 ...
-
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 ...
castle in
Balsorano Balsorano ( Marsicano: ') is a ''comune'' (municipality) and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy.
History
Balsorano is mentioned for the first time in the 10th century. During the Middle Ages and modern era, it was hel ...
,
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
The castle was built by Antonio
Piccolomini
The House of Piccolomini (pronounced ) is the name of an Italian noble family, Patricians of Siena, who were prominent from the beginning of the 13th century until the 18th century. The family achieved the recognized titles of Pope of the Catho ...
, nephew of
pope Pius II
Pope Pius II (, ), born Enea Silvio Bartolomeo Piccolomini (; 18 October 1405 – 14 August 1464), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 August 1458 to his death in 1464.
Aeneas Silvius was an author, diplomat, ...
, in 1460.
Now it is an hotel and it has been used as location for several Italian films.
Architecture
The castle has an irregular pentagonal plan with circular towers at each corner. The building is in stone and the main entrance is through the surrounding park. The internal courtyard is L-shaped with a well in the middle.
References
External links
* {{cite web , language=it , url=http://conoscere.abruzzoturismo.it/index.php?Canale=Cosa&IDCanaleSub=5&IDCanaleSubSub=0&IDItem=2093&ItemType=BC , title=Castello Piccolomini - Balsorano (AQ) , publisher=Regione Abruzzo , accessdate=December 27, 2014 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141010061143/http://conoscere.abruzzoturismo.it/index.php?Canale=Cosa&IDCanaleSub=5&IDCanaleSubSub=0&IDItem=2093&ItemType=BC , archive-date=October 10, 2014 , url-status=dead
Piccolomini (Balsorano)
Balsorano