Caracciolo Castle, Medieval castle in Brienza, Italy.
Caracciolo Castle is an Angevin castle on the steep main hill north of Brienza, in Basilicata, enclosed by the Pergola torrent and the Fiumicello. Its present look follows restoration after the 1980 earthquake. The building covers over three thousand square metres per floor, and the hill's shape between the two streams gives it the form of a great ship.
The fortress was developed in the 1200s under Emperor Frederick II, with nobleman Gentile da Petruno placed in charge of its governance. Archaeological evidence suggests that an earlier fortification had already stood on this location during the early medieval period under Lombard rule.
The castle's name comes from the Caracciolo family of Naples, who held it until 1875, when Maria Giulia Caracciolo gave it to Baron Luigi Barracco. Local lore tells of Bianca da Burgentia, called Bidibù, said to have lived here in the mid-14th century amid the castle's 365 rooms.
Access to the castle is gained through footpaths that climb the hill and can be slippery depending on weather conditions. Guided tours lead visitors through the different levels and explain the layout and construction, with the best views of the surrounding landscape from the upper sections.
The round tower served for centuries as a prison, closed by a gate and watched by armed guards, while the square tower marked the entrance reached by an open staircase from the Palazzo dell'Amministrazione below. A 1625 document records walnut furniture and a cellar with large barrels.
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