Santapau Castle

Licodia Eubea, Italy

Santapau Castle was first time documented in 1274, but it was fortified already in the Byzantine era. After the old castle was destroyed by Arabs, it was rebuilt during the age of Charles I of Anjou. It was destroyed by the massive earthquake in 1693, today some remains of towers and undeground structures remain.

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Address

Via Roma 50, Licodia Eubea, Italy
See all sites in Licodia Eubea

Details

Founded: 13th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in Italy

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

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User Reviews

Jean claude Miano (3 months ago)
Panoramic view not to be missed
johaan yesudasan (2 years ago)
Historical place
Marco La Terra (2 years ago)
The castle already existing in the Byzantine age is likely to have been destroyed during the Saracen invasion to be rebuilt centuries later in the Angevin age, acquiring the name of Castrum Licodiae. The fortress of considerable size and with a large city wall equipped with numerous towers (initially 6), was the seat of the most important families of the Middle Ages, including the Santapau and the Ruffo di Calabria. The ruins of the castle are totally abandoned. The ruins of the castle remain imposing with the towers of the outer walls but also the underground ones, still almost completely unexplored due to failed excavation campaigns. Definitely worth a visit, it's easy to imagine how majestic the activity inside the walls could be and how frenetic it was!
Edel Mifsud (2 years ago)
Nice but could take care off
David Wenman (3 years ago)
We arrived at the Castle on 13 June to find the whole area round the castle burnt. A fire was blazing just before the Castle. No fire engines arrived in the next 2 hours........................
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The Palazzo Colonna is a palatial block of buildings built in part over ruins of an old Roman Serapeum, and has belonged to the prestigious Colonna family for over twenty generations.

The first part of the palace dates from the 13th century, and tradition holds that the building hosted Dante in his visit to Rome. The first documentary mention notes that the property hosted Cardinal Giovanni and Giacomo Colonna in the 13th century. It was also home to Cardinal Oddone Colonna before he ascended to the papacy as Martin V (1417–1431).

With his passing, the palace was sacked during feuds, and the main property passed into the hands of the Della Rovere family. It returned to the Colonna family when Marcantonio I Colonna married Lucrezia Gara Franciotti Della Rovere, the niece of pope Julius II. The Colonna"s alliance to the Habsburg power, likely protected the palace from looting during the Sack of Rome (1527).

Starting with Filippo Colonna (1578–1639) many changes have refurbished and create a unitary complex around a central garden. Architects including Girolamo Rainaldi and Paolo Marucelli labored on specific projects. Only in the 17th and 18th centuries were the main facades completed. Much of this design was completed by Antonio del Grande (including the grand gallery), and Girolamo Fontana (decoration of gallery). In the 18th century, the long low facade designed by Nicola Michetti with later additions by Paolo Posi with taller corner blocks (facing Piazza Apostoli) was constructed recalls earlier structures resembling a fortification.

The main gallery (completed 1703) and the masterful Colonna art collection was acquired after 1650 by both the cardinal Girolamo I Colonna and his nephew the Connestabile Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna and includes works by Lorenzo Monaco, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Palma the Elder, Salviati, Bronzino, Tintoretto, Pietro da Cortona, Annibale Carracci (painting of The Beaneater), Guercino, Francesco Albani, Muziano and Guido Reni. Ceiling frescoes by Filippo Gherardi, Giovanni Coli, Sebastiano Ricci, and Giuseppe Bartolomeo Chiari celebrate the role of Marcantonio II Colonna in the battle of Lepanto (1571). The gallery is open to the public on Saturday mornings.

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Along with the possessions of the Doria-Pamphilij and Pallavacini-Rospigliosi families, this is one of the largest private art collections in Rome.

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