The little
town is located at 600 metres
above sea level on the top of a
hill, from which vantage point it
was possible keep watch over the
entire valley of the River
Fredane. The origins of the
town date back to the period of
the disagreement between the
Lombard princedoms of
Benevento and Salerno, around the
year
850. The first mention
of the fortress appeared in an
historical document in
1151, its lord was
Guaimario
Saraceno. The Saraceno
family were the owners of the
Castle for several
centuries.
The Castle
passed to Domizio Caracciolo
in 1550. At the same time,
several remakings of the Castle
changed its medieval look,
transforming it from a powerful
fortress into a magnificent
aristocratic residence. The
imposing Castle is called
"Ruspoli", from the name of
the last prince who held it in
the first half of the last
century. It is now being restored
after the devastating
earthquake on 23rd
November 1980, that had heavily
damaged it. Nowadays it is the
seat of the City Hall
offices and of some
cultural associations. Very
interesting is the round
Castle
Keep, centre and heart
of the defence. This was the last
line of defence for the
inhabitants of the castle and the
Arrow loops that allowed
defenders to fire their arrows
from cover. Other interesting
elements are: the Hanging
Gardens of the
15th
century and a
Portal of the 16th
century.
Torella
dei
Lombardi
is very close
to the history
of
Italian
and
international
cinema,
it is infact
the home of the
Leone
family and
de
Laurentiis
Family.
Birthplace of
Vincenzo
Leone
(1879-1959),
father of the
famous film
director
Sergio,
and of the film
producer
Aurelio
de Laurentiis,
father of Dino
and Luigi de
Laurentiis.
The Norman
Tower (12th
century), Bosco
Girifalco
The
Tower in
Torella dei
Lombardi is one
of the best
preserved
examples of
Norman
architecture in
Irpinia. The
Norman Tower
was built in
the 12th
century. It
held a
strategic
position on
Girifalco hill
overlooking and
controlling the
surrounding
area. The
medieval
village of
Girifalco grew
up around the
Norman
Tower.
The
tower has a
quadrangular
layout, thick
walls and the
entrance at the
first
floor.
The
complex was
used to control
the surrounding
area until the
first half of
the 15th
century. The
Tower was
heavily damaged
by an
earthquake that
struck the area
in
1456.
VISITING IRPINIA CASTLES by Tina Rigione The first guidebook in English, interactive and multimedia, which takes you between the Castelli d'Irpinia, and not only, with a click or a tap: archaeological sites, city walls, towers, medieval villages, palaces and religious monuments, hundreds of original photos collected in photo galleries and video spots, interactive maps, 90 verification and learning tests for children and teenagers and adults, terminology glossary and references to historical figures, main typical products, important cultural events; direct links to the e-mail box to request information on availability and on tourist routes and / or to visit the historical sites; direct links to the website to access the pages in Italian, English, German and Japanese, direct links to social media Facebook, Twitter, Blogger; Back Stage and notes from the author. Apple ID: 1471103747 - ISBN: 9788888332284
What to do, see and visit in Avellino and in the province, in the beautiful Irpinia, at incredibly low prices?
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