Italian castles: Castello di Pereto

Castello di Pereto is a Middle Ages castle in Pereto, Province of L’Aquila, Abruzzo.

The historic Via Tiburtina Valeria and the Cavaliere plain are controlled by the Pereto fortress, which is situated in a strategic location. The earliest building is credited to count Berardo dei Marsi, who ordered the construction of a tower on the spot where the future castle keep would stand during the first part of the tenth century.

When Rainaldo, the count of the Marsi, made Pereto his home in the second part of the 11th century, the building underwent renovations. When Rainaldo died in 1093 while serving in the First Crusade, his widow Aldegrima relocated to Oricola and gave the Peretano fortress to the monks of Montecassino. A bull from Pope Urban II placed the fortress on the list of property awarded to the Cassinese abbot Oderisio in 1097.

The De Ponte rulers received the property after a period of decline in 1150. The castle-precinct complex was created in the 14th century with the erection of the other two square towers and the connecting walls. The Orsini family acquired the castle around the beginning of the 15th century, and on December 5, 1456, the earthquake that shook central and southern Italy most likely caused damage to the fortress.

After being given to the Colonna family at the end of the 15th century, the north tower of the castle was used by the Maccafani family in the 19th century before being sold to the Vicario family in the early 1900s. It was severely damaged in the 1915 Marsica earthquake, and Aldo Maria Arena bought it in 1966. He then oversaw its restoration, earning a commendation certification from Europa Nostra in 1982 for the efficiency and caliber of the work done.