Castello ducale di Crecchio, or De Riseis-D’Aragona Ducal Castle, is a Middle Ages castle in Crecchio, Chieti, Abruzzo.
There is little information available about the castle, particularly on its history and layout. The sole historical account of the castle that the archives have located is one written in 1633 by Scipione Patern. The Lombards built the castle in the ninth century, and the Normans later owned it. The Aragona family repaired the castle in the fourteenth century, after which the De Riseis family came to own it. King Vittorio Emanuele III lived in the castle in 1943 while he fled to Brindisi, and during World War II, the Allies bombed the palace. After being restored, the castle preserved its former aspect and now houses a museum of Byzantine artifacts from the Abruzzo region.
The square-shaped castle contains walls, a bridge for entry, and a square layout. The three corner towers were constructed during the Aragonese era, with the oldest tower being constructed by the Lombards in the eighth century. The building’s exterior has been compared to a mansion with balconies and elaborately decorated windows. Because the other chambers were destroyed during World War II and were reconstructed as display spaces for the Byzantine museum, only the historic room that once housed King Vittorio Emanuele remains inside.
Featured image: wikimedia
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