The Orsini-Colonna castle (
Italian
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 ...
''Castello Orsini-Colonna'') is a castle in
Avezzano
Avezzano ( or ; nap, Avezzàne, label=Neapolitan language, Marsicano ) is a city and ''comune'' with a population of 40,819 inhabitants, situated in the Abruzzo region, province of L'Aquila, Italy. It is the second most populous municipality in th ...
,
Province of L'Aquila
The Province of L'Aquila ( it, Provincia dell'Aquila) is the largest, most mountainous and least densely populated province of the Abruzzo region of Central Italy. It comprises about half the landmass of Abruzzo and occupies the western part o ...
(
Abruzzo
Abruzzo (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Abruzzese Neapolitan, Abbrùzze , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; nap, label=Sabino dialect, Aquilano, Abbrùzzu; #History, historically Abruzzi) is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy wi ...
).
History
Castello Orsini was constructed in 1490 by
Virginio Orsini
Gentile Virginio Orsini (c. 1434 – 8 January 1497) was an Italian condottiero and vassal of the papal throne and the Kingdom of Naples, mainly remembered as the powerful head of the Orsini family during its feud with Pope Alexander VI (Rodri ...
and, in 1565, it was adapted by
Marcantonio Colonna
Marcantonio II Colonna (sometimes spelled Marc'Antonio; 1535 – August 1, 1584), Duke of Tagliacozzo and Duke and Prince of Paliano, was a Roman aristocrat who served as a Viceroy of Sicily in the service of the Spanish Crown, Spanish gener ...
in fortified residence.
In 1915 it was deeply damaged by an earthquake. Following its restoration, now it is used as a picture gallery and multifunction space.
Architecture
The squared building is protected by four circular towers at each corner. A circular tower was also in the middle of the internal courtyard, now demolished.
The castle had a moat and a drawbridge. The current main entrance was built by the
Colonna family
The House of Colonna, also known as ''Sciarrillo'' or ''Sciarra'', is an Italian noble family, forming part of the papal nobility. It was powerful in Middle Ages, medieval and Roman Renaissance, Renaissance Rome, supplying one pope (Pope Martin ...
to celebrate the
battle of Lepanto
The Battle of Lepanto was a naval engagement that took place on 7 October 1571 when a fleet of the Holy League, a coalition of Catholic states (comprising Spain and its Italian territories, several independent Italian states, and the Soverei ...
.
References
External links
*{{cite web , language=it , url=http://www.regione.abruzzo.it/xcultura/index.asp?modello=castelloaq&servizio=xList&stileDiv=monoLeft&template=intIndex&b=menuCast2143&tom=143 , title=Castello Orsini-Colonna , publisher=Regione Abruzzo , accessdate=December 29, 2014 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141228213947/http://www.regione.abruzzo.it/xcultura/index.asp?modello=castelloaq&servizio=xList&stileDiv=monoLeft&template=intIndex&b=menuCast2143&tom=143 , archive-date=December 28, 2014 , url-status=dead
Orsini-Colonna
Buildings and structures in Avezzano