In Abruzzo you can count approximately 700 castles, fortresses and fortified cities. That is why it is also called the Bavaria of Italy.
Abruzzo is a large open-air museum of military architecture. There is no village, peak, pass or promontory that does not have its tower or fortified enclosure, built for defensive purposes.
Among the most evocative is the 1.500th century Rocca Calascio castle in the province of L'Aquila, one of the most beautiful in Europe. Located almost XNUMX meters above sea level, in a dominant position over the Tirino valley and the Navelli plain, it dominates an impressive mountain panorama that has remained intact. It still preserves the wall structures and even a very rare original battlement. The original construction of the fortress, formed by an isolated quadrangular tower with already squared stones, dates back to the year XNUMX and served as a watchtower. Its position made Rocca Calascio a natural setting for several medieval films, including "Lady Hawke", "The Name of the Rose" and "The Bride's Journey", which helped make it famous around the world.
A Civitella del Tronto, in the province of Teramo, there is a fortress with unique characteristics, visited every year by historians and scholars. It is one of the most impressive works of military engineering in Europe. It includes architecture from various periods arranged on different levels, connected to each other by several ramps. Located 600 meters above sea level in a strategic position with respect to the former northern border of the Viceroyalty of Naples with the Papal State, it has an elliptical shape, with an extension of 25 thousand square meters and a length of more than 500 meters. It belonged to Philip II of Habsburg, king of Spain, then it passed to the Bourbons and was abandoned in the mid-XNUMXth century and looted. Today you can visit along the three covered walks, the large parade grounds, the cisterns (of which only one can be visited), the long patrol walks, the remains of the Governor's Palace, the Church of San Giacomo and the soldiers' barracks. .
It is also a true gem of military architecture. castillo manfrino in Valle Castellana (TE). It is located in one of the most fascinating and mysterious places in the entire province, on the border with Ascoli and 900 meters above a rocky spur that dominates the Salinello valleys. According to legend, it was King Manfredi, natural son of Emperor Frederick II, who wanted its construction to defend the northern border of his Kingdom from incursions. After his defeat, the castle came under the control of the Angevins. The ruins are now accessible to the public via wooden and steel walkways.
Recently restored is the Castillo de Caldora of Pacentro (AQ), which was part, together with the castles of Pettorano, Introdacqua, Anversa, Bugnara, Popoli and Roccacasale, of the defensive system of the Peligna Valley. Located at the top of a charming village with medieval architecture that has remained intact, to the point of having been included in the Club of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy, it is one of the most beautiful medieval fortifications in Abruzzo.
Il Castillo Cantelmo of Pettorano sul Gizio (AQ) is one of the most interesting fortresses in the area. Abandoned for decades and reduced to ruin, it was restored in the 90s and today houses permanent exhibitions such as "The Man and the Mountain", the "Exhibition of the Carboneros", "Archaeological Finds from the Roman Period", etc.
It is one of the most evocative and powerful castles in Abruzzo. Roccascalegna (CH). It stands on a rocky spur from which you can see the characteristic medieval town, the valley of the Secco River and the wide Valle de Sangro. Its origin is probably related to the Lombards, who around the 5th/6th century fortified the fortress that later passed into the hands of the Suebi, the Angevins and the Aragonese and which little by little acquired an increasingly elaborate appearance.
It is impossible to mention the 700 places, including castles and fortresses, that can be found in the interior of Abruzzo. We mention only the best known, such as the Palazzo Castellano dei Conti di Celano in Castelvecchio Subequo, the Castle of the Conti di Sangro in Anversa degli Abruzzi, the Castle of Roccacasale and the Castello Piccolomini of Balsorano, all in the province of L 'Aquila, Monica Castle and Pagliara Castle on Isola del Gran Sasso, which are located near Teramo. And many more.
