Castel Manfrino, Valle Castellana

Manfrino Castle is a Middle Ages castle in Valle Castellana, Teramo Abruzzo.

The castle is located within the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park. The castle was built on the remains of an ancient Roman fortress, built to defend the road that departed from the Via Salaria near Amatrice and, through the so-called Hannibal Pass, flowed into the Campovalano plain. Built-in the early medieval period between the 12th and 13th centuries, it owes its name to Manfredi of Swabia, son of Frederick II.

Manfredi ordered the construction of the castle so that it could control the only passages between Ascoli Piceno and Teramo—better known as the Abruzzo Ascolano—along with the fortification of Civitella del Tronto.

The fortified work’s exterior walls were constructed by taking full advantage of the area’s inherent defensiveness and by adhering to the profile of the rocky outcrop that serves as their home. Other from the enclosure’s entrance, they have no other openings. They extend for around 120 meters and are only made of polished and cemented river stones on the outside. The width of the enclosed space increases inside from 8 to 20 meters. The walls range in thickness from 50 cm to 1 meter. There are no ramparts on the building; they may have only been there at one time, close to the entrance facing north.

Featured image: wikipedia