The Castle in Celano
The present castle was
built by Pietro Berardi, the Count of Celano,
in 1392. In 1451 Lionello Acclozamora built
the communication trench for patrol and
four corner towers. Antonio Piccolomini
completed this work and changed the castle
from a military fortress to a comfortable
luxury palace. It belonged to several rich
families: the Savelli, the Sforza-Cesarini,
the De Torres and finally the Dragonetti.
The castle was seriously
damaged by an earthquake in 1915 and it
stayed abandoned until 1940, when restoration
work started. They were interrupted because
of World War II and they were finished in
1960. In the south-east side of the castle
there are two entrances, the first one through
a drawbridge and the second one, which is
more ancient, through an ogival arch. The
building is surrounded by irregular castle
walls with 11 small square-plan towers and
5 small circular-plan towers. It is one
of the best-preserved castles in Italy.
Today the castle houses the Sacred Art
of Marsica Museum.
(Celano, 650 mt). |