250px, View of the bastions.
The Copertino Castle ( it, Castello di Copertino) is a castle in
Apulia
it, Pugliese
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, southern Italy. It is located in the eponymous city of
Copertino
Copertino (; historical en, Cupertino, italic=yes; scn, label=Salentino, Cupirtinu ), also known in English as Cupertino, is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Lecce in the Apulia region of south-east Italy.
History
Following Charles of ...
, north of
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...
on the heel of Apulia, between
Manduria
Manduria is a city and '' comune'' of Apulia, Italy, in the province of Taranto. With c. 32,000 inhabitants (2013), it is located east of Taranto.
History
It was an important stronghold of the Messapii against Taras. Archidamus III, king ...
and Galatina.
Overview
Like the castle of
Otranto
Otranto (, , ; scn, label= Salentino, Oṭṛàntu; el, label=Griko, Δερεντό, Derentò; grc, Ὑδροῦς, translit=Hudroûs; la, Hydruntum) is a coastal town, port and ''comune'' in the province of Lecce (Apulia, Italy), in a fertil ...
, Copertino was built for the defence of the peninsular of the
Salento
Salento ( Salentino: ''Salentu'', Salentino Griko: ''Σαλέντο'') is a cultural, historical and geographic region at the southern end of the administrative region of Apulia in Southern Italy. It is a sub-peninsula of the Italian Peninsula ...
. The castle was originally built in the Norman period, and altered significantly for Alfonso Castriota by
Charles V Charles V may refer to:
* Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558)
* Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain
* Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise
* Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690)
* Infan ...
's renowned fortifications expert
Evangelista Menga
Evangelista Menga ( 1480 – 1571) was an Italian military engineer.
He was from Francavilla Fontana. As the military architect of Emperor Charles V, he designed the Castello di Copertino, the , the Castello di Mola di Bari, the Castello di P ...
in 1540, in response to significant military developments including the use of gunpowder. The alterations included a ditch and majestic bastions with 90 arrow slits to allow cannon movements. Copertino therefore incorporates an
Angevin
Angevin or House of Anjou may refer to:
*County of Anjou or Duchy of Anjou, a historical county, and later Duchy, in France
**Angevin (language), the traditional langue d'oïl spoken in Anjou
**Counts and Dukes of Anjou
* House of Ingelger, a Frank ...
keep, being later enlarged to a quadrangle plan with a tapered rampart at each of the four corners. The entrance portal is in Catalan-Durazzesque style, conceived as a triumphal arch, with the entrance to the family chapel of
St Mark
Mark the Evangelist ( la, Marcus; grc-gre, Μᾶρκος, Mârkos; arc, ܡܪܩܘܣ, translit=Marqōs; Ge'ez: ማርቆስ; ), also known as Saint Mark, is the person who is traditionally ascribed to be the author of the Gospel of Mark. Accor ...
to the right of the entrance vestibule. The chapel itself is decorated with 15th Century frescoes by the mannerist painter
Gianserio Strafella
Gianserio Strafella (Copertino, ca. 1520–1573, according to some sources; 1506–1577, according to others) was an Italian Mannerist painter active mainly in Salento. His work may be seen in the chapel of Copertino Castle and the Basilica di S ...
.
The Castle's inner courtyard includes several enormous galleries, and to the left of the Castle's entrance is the porticoed palace built for the Squarciafico Pinelli,
Counts of Copertino and
Marquesses of Galatone, ancestors of the
Princes of Belmonte. Copertino Castle is one of the largest fortresses constructed in
Apulia
it, Pugliese
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.
It is held in local folklore that
Isabella of Clermont
Isabella of Clermont ( – 30 March 1465), also known as Isabella of Taranto, was queen of Naples as the first wife of King Ferdinand I of Naples, and a feudatory of the kingdom as the holder and ruling Princess of the Principality of Taranto in ...
, daughter of
Tristan de Clermont
Bartholomew "Tristan" de Clermont-Lodève (1380), Count of Copertino, was a French-born knight who married Catherine Orsini del Balzo, youngest daughter of Mary of Enghien and Raimondo Orsini del Balzo, Prince of Taranto. He was the father of I ...
and
Catherine of Taranto, who later became
Queen of Naples
The following is a list of rulers of the Kingdom of Naples, from its first separation from the Kingdom of Sicily to its merger with the same into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
Kingdom of Naples (1282–1501)
House of Anjou
In 1382, the Kin ...
, was born at Copertino Castle.
Buildings and structures in the Province of Lecce
Castles in Apulia
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