Rocca Orsini (

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 ...

for ''Stronghold of

Orsini family The House of Orsini is an Italian noble family that was one of the most influential princely families in medieval Italy and Renaissance Rome. Members of the Orsini family include five popes: Stephen II (752-757), Paul I (757-767), Celestine II ...

'') is a

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

castle in

Scurcola Marsicana Scurcola Marsicana is a ''comune'' and town in the province of L'Aquila, in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It is located at the feet of Mount San Nicola, on the western rim of the former Fucine Lake. History The most ancient findings of hum ...

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

Rocca Orsini is located on the highest part of Scurcola Marsicana. It is composed by different structures belonging to different ages. The oldest part was built by the De Pontibus family and dates back to the 13th century; it is a Norman-Swabian

enclosure castle An enclosure castle is a fortified residence or stronghold, in which defence is facilitated by walls and towers. Such fortifications were usually composed of wood or stone, but there are later examples built of brick. Features In enclosure castl ...

with a structure similar to many other fortifications in the area of

L'Aquila L'Aquila ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy. It is the capital city of both the Abruzzo region and of the Province of L'Aquila. , it has a population of 70,967 inhabitants. Laid out within medieval walls on a hill in the wide valle ...

, like

Castle of San Pio delle Camere The Castle of San Pio delle Camere (Italian language, Italian: ''Castello di San Pio delle Camere'') is a Middle Ages, medieval castle in San Pio delle Camere, province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo, southern Italy. History The oldest mention about the ...

. The structure of the castle was based on a pentagonal tower placed at the higher top and a wall with a triangular plant leading down to the valley. Historical sources confirm the existence of this castle (named "castrum Sculcule") during the

battle of Tagliacozzo The Battle of Tagliacozzo was fought on 23 August 1268 between the Ghibelline supporters of Conradin of Hohenstaufen and the Guelph army of Charles of Anjou. The battle represented the last act of Hohenstaufen power in Italy. The capture and ex ...

in 1268 between

Conradin Conrad III (25 March 1252 – 29 October 1268), called ''the Younger'' or ''the Boy'', but usually known by the diminutive Conradin (german: link=no, Konradin, it, Corradino), was the last direct heir of the House of Hohenstaufen. He was Duke ...

and

Charles I of Naples Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou, was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the second House of Anjou. He was Count of Provence (1246–85) and Forcalquier (1246–48, 1256–85) i ...

. The transformation of the castle in Renaissance fortress took place in the late 15th century by the

. Gentile Virginio Orsini, Count of

Tagliacozzo Tagliacozzo (Marsicano: ') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo, central Italy. History Tagliacozzo lies in an area inhabited in early historic times by the Aequi and the Marsi, although the first mentions of the town ...

and Lord of

Bracciano Bracciano is a small town in the Italian region of Lazio, northwest of Rome. The town is famous for its volcanic lake ( Lago di Bracciano or "Sabatino", the eighth largest lake in Italy) and for a particularly well-preserved medieval castle Cast ...

, in 1490 involved for the design of the new structure

Francesco di Giorgio Martini Francesco di Giorgio Martini (1439–1501) was an Italian architect, engineer, painter, sculptor, and writer. As a painter, he belonged to the Sienese School. He was considered a visionary architectural theorist—in Nikolaus Pevsner's terms: ...

, already engaged in the construction of the castle of

Campagnano di Roma Campagnano di Roma is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Rome in the Italian region Latium, located about northwest of Rome. It was first mentioned in 1076, having been carved out of the great estate assembled on the Roman p ...

. The passage of the castle to 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 ...

in the 16th century didn't bring important changes to the configuration of the structure.

Architecture

Rocca Orsini has a triangular plant with two cylindrical towers on the corners of the base and a bastion to the northwest, replacing the previous pentagonal tower of the enclosure castle. According to the style of Francesco di Giorgio Martini, the triangular plant reduce the number of sides to defend in case of sieges. The defensive system survived also to the spread of firearms, with the presence of bunkers at the lower level to defend the castle from the attackers and thick walls able to resist to mortars. Moreover, the walkway is uninterrupted for the whole perimeter in order to allow quick movements. The building, abandoned for a long time, was recently restructured thanks to an initiative of a local committee.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Castles in Abruzzo Scurcola Marsicana