Castello Tramontano is a 16th-century fortification in

Matera Matera (, ; Materano: ) is a city in the region of Basilicata, in Southern Italy. As the capital of the province of Matera, its original settlement lies in two canyons carved by the Gravina River. This area, the Sassi di Matera, is a comple ...

, that was built to control the local population. Castello Tramontano is situated on Lapellio Hill, above the historical city of

with in the Basilicata Administrative Region. The city has been used many times as a set to represent the Holy land in film inculding Pier Paolo Pasolini’s "The Gospel According to St. Matthew" and Mel Gibson's " The Passion of the Christ"

History

The Castello was constructed in Aragonese style, with a taller central tower and two lower side towers, both round, crenellated, and equipped with loops. Construction began in 1501 by Giovanni Carlo Tramontano, Count of Matera. The king of

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, Ferdinand II, had promised the Materrani people that he would not give the city to any more feudal lords after Matera had already freed itself several times from the feudal yoke by paying various ransoms to remain a free city. Recognition of such a status is directly dependent on the Crown. Instead, Count Tramontano, who boasted claims against the royal treasury, asked and obtained the County of

in 1496. The Count soon became hated by the Materani. Because he was burdened by debts, to cope with his situation, the Count heavily taxed the Materrani people. This heavy taxation allowed for the construction of the castle, that was situated on a hill dominating the city, outside the city walls, with the purpose of feudal control of the surrounding lands rather than defense of the city itself. 25,000 ducats were spent in total on the construction of the castle. It's believed that the construction at the time should have included other defensive towers, one of which was found under the central Piazza Vittorio Veneto in Matera together with other underground developments. In response, some dissatisfied citizens gathered together and hid behind a stone, which has since been called "u pizzon 'du mal consigghj" (ie "stone of bad advice"), and organized a coup against the Count. On December 29, 1514, the Count was assassinated in a side street leaving the

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

of the same name, which was later called "Way of Ransom". The castle thus remained unfinished. Restoration work began in 2008, owing to the castle and surrounding park falling into disrepair. Notably, these restorations aim to renovate the

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

alongside and the

tufa Tufa is a variety of limestone formed when carbonate minerals precipitate out of water in unheated rivers or lakes. Geothermally heated hot springs sometimes produce similar (but less porous) carbonate deposits, which are known as travertine. ...

walls. The project is financed by lottery funds, but it is currently closed to the public.Tramontano Castle, Matera
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References

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Matera Castles in Basilicata

Castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

Buildings and structures in the Province of Matera

History

See also

References

Bibliography