Della Monica castle, Gothic Revival castle in Teramo, Italy

Della Monica Castle is a Gothic Revival complex on San Venanzio hill, built of pale tan brick and rough grey stone. Its upper section has crenellated parapets, a round corner turret, arched windows with stone tracery, and a projecting balcony with carved figures beneath pointed arches. The rusticated lower stone section features blind arcading and a large arched opening.

Painter Gennaro Della Monica started construction in 1889 after receiving approval from provincial authorities to build his private residence and art studio. From its inception, the site merged living quarters with artistic working spaces.

The complex takes its name from Gennaro Della Monica, the Teramo painter who designed it and kept his studio inside the castle, filling it with studies, notes and drawings made during the finishing of the interiors. In September 1900, during celebrations for the reopening of Teramo's church of the Madonna delle Grazie, the pyrotechnician Pietro Paolo Vallone staged a fireworks illusion themed on the castle catching fire.

The Municipality of Teramo owns most of the complex today, with only one residential building remaining in private hands while restoration work continues. Visitors should check ahead since regular opening times and access arrangements are still being organized.

In September 1900, during celebrations for the reopening of Teramo's church of the Madonna delle Grazie, the stoker Pietro Paolo Vallone staged a pyrotechnic illusion show whose theme was the burning of Della Monica Castle. The painter Gennaro Della Monica lived in the castle and kept his studio there, gathering studies, notes and drawings made during the completion of the interiors.