Montecuccolo Castle ( is a

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

Pavullo nel Frignano Pavullo nel Frignano ( Frignanese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, in the Modenese Apeninnes. It is home to the medieval Castle of Montecuccolo, birthplace of the 17th century condottiero Raimondo Mont ...

Modena Modena (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It has 184,739 inhabitants as of 2025. A town, and seat of an archbis ...

, Italy.

History

The castle was the birthplace of the 17th-century

condottiero Condottieri (; singular: ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian military leaders active during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The term originally referred specifically to commanders of mercenary companies, derived from the ...

Raimondo Montecuccoli Raimondo Montecuccoli (; 21 February 1609 – 16 October 1680) was an Italian-born professional soldier, military theorist, and diplomat, who served the Habsburg monarchy. Experiencing the Thirty Years' War from scratch as a simple footsoldier, ...

Construction

The castle's main tower was built in the 11th century as a

watchtower A watchtower or guardtower (also spelt watch tower, guard tower) is a type of military/paramilitary or policiary tower used for guarding an area. Sometimes fortified, and armed with heavy weaponry, especially historically, the structures are ...

to protect the surrounding town. A defensive wooden

palisade A palisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling, is typically a row of closely placed, high vertical standing tree trunks or wooden or iron stakes used as a fence for enclosure or as a defensive wall. Palisades can form a stockade. Etymo ...

was erected at its base. In the 12th century, an adjoining

fortified A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lat ...

house was constructed, along with stone walls that replaced the original palisade. During the 13th and 14th centuries, additional buildings were added and the walls were extended to enclose them, forming an internal

piazza A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Rela ...

. In the 15th and 16th centuries, a church—the Church of San Lorenzo—was built, enclosing a second, smaller piazza at a lower elevation than the earlier structures.

References

External links

''Il Castello di Montecuccolo''

''Locanda del Condottiero''

''Visit Modena – Il Castello di Montecuccolo''
{{Landmarks of Emilia-Romagna Castles in Emilia-Romagna

History

Construction

See also

References

External links