Castello ducale di Crecchio (

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 ''Ducal Castle of Crecchio'') 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

Crecchio Crecchio is a ''comune'' and village in the province of Chieti, part of the Abruzzo region in central Italy. The village preserves its medieval aspect and is dominated by its castle. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful vi ...

Province of Chieti The province of Chieti (; Neapolitan language, Abruzzese: ') is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Its provincial capital is the city Chieti, which has a population of 50,770 inhabitants. The province has a total popul ...

(

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 the

Lombards The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written betwee ...

in the eighth century, and later went into the possession of the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...

. In the fifteenth century the castle was restored by the Aragona family, and then went into the possession of the family De Riseis. In 1943 the castle was home to the King

Vittorio Emanuele III Victor Emmanuel III (; 11 November 1869 – 28 December 1947) was King of Italy from 29 July 1900 until his abdication on 9 May 1946. A member of the House of Savoy, he also reigned as Emperor of Ethiopia from 1936 to 1941 and King of the Albania ...

, fleeing towards

Brindisi Brindisi ( ; ) is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Historically, the city has played an essential role in trade and culture due to its strategic position ...

, and then, in World War II, it was bombed by the Allies. The castle was later rebuilt completely, respecting its original appearance, and houses a museum of Byzantine Abruzzo finds.

Architecture

The castle has a square plan, with walls, and an access bridge. The oldest tower is built by the Lombards (8th century), while the other three corner towers date back to the Aragonese period. The structure, outside, has compared the mansion, with balconies and highly decorated windows. The interior has only an old room, the one that hosted the King Vittorio Emanuele, with its original bed, because the others were destroyed in World War II, and later rebuilt as exhibition rooms for the Byzantine museum.

References

Crecchio {{Italy-castle-stub