Best Castles to visit in Abruzzo, Italy
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Several historic castles of Abruzzo were strongholds or fortifications on mountaintops to guard the valleys, particularly those of the Sangro and Pescara rivers. Invasion by the Lombards and Normans (in the sixth and eleventh centuries, respectively) followed the fall of the Western Roman Empire, and the area was subsequently ruled by several regional counts and potentates. To maintain control over the area, the Lombards mainly constructed watchtowers and small fortified garrisons, which were typically very small.
King Alfonso I of Aragon repopulated numerous abandoned castles in the area in 1442 during his reign. The Abruzzi coastline was frequently looted by the Ottomans between 1510 and 1566. To counter this threat, Emperor Charles V built a defensive system of coastal towers in the Kingdom of Naples, designating Pescara as the bastion of the Giustizierato d’Abruzzo, Justitiaratus Aprutii apud Sulmonam, an administrative district of the Kingdom of Sicily established in 1233 by Frederick II.
This is a list of castles in Abruzzo, arranged by province.
Province of L’Aquila
Castello normanno, Anversa degli Abruzzi
Castello Orsini-Colonna, Avezzano
Castello Piccolomini, Balsorano
Castello Piccolomini, Capestrano
Castello del Re, Castel di Sangro
Castello Piccolomini, Ortucchio
Castel Camponeschi, Prata d’Ansidonia
Castello De Sanctis, Roccacasale
Castle of San Pio delle Camere
Castle of Sant’Eusanio Forconese
Rocca Orsini, Scurcola Marsicana
Province of Chieti
Castelfraiano, Castiglione Messer Marino
Castello Caldora, Civitaluparella
Castello Baglioni, Civitella Messer Raimondo
Castello Franceschelli, Montazzoli
Province of Pescara
Castello di Musellaro, Bolognano
Castello Mediceo, Bussi sul Tirino
Castello Chiola-Caracciolo, Loreto Aprutino
Castello De Sterlich-Aliprandi, Nocciano
Castello ducale, Pescosansonesco
Castello ducale Cantelmo, Popoli
Castello Farnese, San Valentino in Abruzzo Citeriore
Castel Menardo, Serramonacesca
Castello Caracciolo, Tocco da Casauria
Castello Gizzi, Torre de’ Passeri
Province of Teramo
Palazzo De Sterlich, Cermignano
Fortezza di Civitella del Tronto
Castel Manfrino, Valle Castellana
Featured image: wikimedia
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