Castello di Pereto (

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 ''Castle of Pereto'') 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

Pereto Pereto ( Marsicano: ') is a ''comune'' and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It was an ancient centre of the Marsi. Main sights *Medieval castle, with its 13th-century imposing towers, which belonged to the Colon ...

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 ...

), Italy.

History

The castle of Pereto is strategically positioned to control the Piana del Cavaliere and the ancient

Via Tiburtina Valeria The Via Valeria was an ancient Roman road of Italy, the continuation north-eastwards of the Via Tiburtina from Tibur. It probably owed its origin to Marcus Valerius Messalla, censor in 154 BC. A second Via Valeria, the Via Valeria of Sicily, co ...

. The oldest part of the structure is attributed to the proto-count Berardo of Marsi, who, in the first half of the 10th century, built a tower on the site where the castle's keep would later stand. The structure was strengthened in the latter half of the 11th century when Pereto became the residence of Rainaldo, Count of Marsi. After Rainaldo left for the

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the Middle Ages. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Muslim conquest ...

in 1093 and subsequently died, his widow Aldegrima moved to

Oricola Oricola ( Marsicano: ') is a ''comune'' and town in the province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo, central Italy, located near the regional boundary with Latium Latium ( , ; ) is the region of central western Italy in which the city of Rome was founded ...

and donated the castle of Pereto to the

Abbey of Montecassino The Abbey of Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a Catholic, Benedictine monastery on a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Latin Valley. Located on the site of the ancient Roman town of Casinum, it is the first house ...

. In 1097, the castle is listed among the properties confirmed to Abbot Oderisio by a bull of

Pope Urban II Pope Urban II (; – 29 July 1099), otherwise known as Odo of Châtillon or Otho de Lagery, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 March 1088 to his death. He is best known for convening the Council of Clermon ...

. After a period of decline in 1150, the manor passed to the

De Ponte De Ponte is a topographic byname/surnameIris Shagrir, "The Medieval Evolution of By-naming: Notions from the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem", ''In Laudem Hierosolymitani'' (Shagrir, Ellenblum & Riley-Smith, eds.), Ashgate Publishing, 2007, pp. 49-59p.5 ...

lords and was expanded during the Frederican era. The addition of two other square towers and connecting walls in the 14th century gave rise to the castle-enclosure structure. At the beginning of the 15th century, the castle became the property of the

Orsini Orsini is a surname of Italian origin, originally derived from Latin ''ursinus'' ("bearlike") and originating as an epithet or sobriquet describing the name-bearer's purported strength. Notable people with the surname include the following: * Aaro ...

family and was likely damaged by the

1456 Central Italy earthquakes On December 5, 1456, the largest earthquake to occur on the Italian Peninsula in historical times struck the Kingdom of Naples. The earthquake had an estimated moment magnitude of 7.19–7.4, and was centred near the town of Pontelandolfo in ...

on December 5, 1456. Transferred to the

Colonna family The House of Colonna is an Italian noble family, forming part of the papal nobility. It played a pivotal role in Middle Ages, medieval and Roman Renaissance, Renaissance Rome, supplying one pope (Pope Martin V, Martin V), 23 cardinals and many ot ...

at the end of the 15th century, the north tower was used by the Maccafani family in the 19th century, who sold it to the Vicario family at the beginning of the 20th century. Severely damaged by the

1915 Avezzano earthquake The 1915 Avezzano earthquake or 1915 Fucino earthquake occurred on 13 January in central Italy at . The shock had a moment magnitude of 6.7 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (''Extreme''). The epicenter was located in the city of Avezzano ...

, the castle was purchased in 1966 by Aldo Maria Arena, who oversaw its restoration, receiving a diploma of merit from

Europa Nostra Europa Nostra (Latin for "Our Europe") is a pan-European Federation for cultural heritage, Cultural Heritage, representing citizens' organisations that work on safeguarding Europe's cultural and natural heritage. It is the voice of this movement ...

in 1982 for the success and quality of the work done. The structure is open to visitors.

Architecture

The keep has a square plan with 11.70 meters per side and is 27 meters high. It is built on four floors, which housed the guardhouse, storerooms, and prisons on the ground floor. The first floor served as the justice hall, while the noble residence was on the second and third floors. The top floor was used for watch and defense. The second tower, located to the north, has a side length of 6.60 meters and a height of 24 meters; internally, it is structured on five floors. The third tower, to the southeast, has a height of 16 meters and a side length of 4.60 meters; it has no floors and likely served only as a connecting point between the walls and as a lookout. The southwest walls are 23 meters long and 15 meters high. Near the keep is the main entrance to the castle. The eastern walls are 24.5 meters long and 13 meters high, while the northern walls are 22.40 meters long and 14 meters high. At the top, the walls have a patrol walkway connecting the towers.

References

External links

Pereto {{Italy-castle-stub