The Castello di Montesarchio is a castle in

Montesarchio Montesarchio ( nap, Muntesarchio; la, Caudium; grc, Καύδιον, Kaúdion) is a ''comune'' in the Province of Benevento, Campania, southern Italy. It is located south-west of Benevento in the Valle Caudina at the foot of Monte Taburno. The ...

in the province of Benevento, region of Campania, Italy. Since 2007, it houses an archaeologic museum of the region: the Museo Archeologico Nazionale del Sannio Caudino di Montesarchio.

History

The castle is sited atop Monte Taburno, and had been the site of prior fortifications during the medieval period, including occupations by Lombards and Normans. The present structure was mainly erected during the Aragonese rule of the Kingdom. Following the

Italian War of 1542-1546 Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

between the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and King Francis I of France, the castle was confiscated and given in 1532 to the Marquis of the Vasto, Alfonso II d’Avalos. In 1830, the castle was confiscated by the kingdom and turned into a prison. Among the famous mid-19th-century patriots jailed here were Carlo Poerio,

Sigismondo Castromediano ''Sigismondo'' is an operatic 'dramma' in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Maria Foppa. The opera was not a success and Rossini later re-used some of its music in ''Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra'', ''The Barber ...

, Michele Pironti, and

Nicola Nisco Nicola may refer to: People * Nicola (name), including a list of people with the given name or, less commonly, the surname **Nicola (artist) or Nicoleta Alexandru, singer who represented Romania at the 2003 Eurovision Song Contest * Nicola people, ...

. The castle remained a prison until the end of the Second World War, and during the 1960s it served as an orphanage (Istituto Mater Orphanorum).Polo Museale of Campania
.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montesarchio Castello Archaeological museums in Italy Buildings and structures in Benevento

Defunct prisons in Italy Lombard architecture Museums in Campania Orphanages in Italy