Museo nazionale di Castello Pandone, National museum in Venafro, Italy.
The Museo nazionale di Castello Pandone is a national museum housed within a castle in Venafro, displaying religious artworks and collections from the Molise region across three different levels. The spaces feature historic architectural elements including towers and fortified walls.
The castle's oldest core is a megalithic structure visible at the base of the Lombard keep; the fortified complex developed mainly in the second half of the 10th century. In 1443 it passed to the Pandone family, and Count Enrico turned it into a Renaissance residence with a loggia and garden, frescoed between 1522 and 1527 with his horses. After his beheading for treason against Charles V, the Lannoy and later the Peretti Savelli and Di Capua families modified it.
The name comes from the Pandone family, who received the castle in 1443. Count Enrico Pandone had the noble floor frescoed between 1522 and 1527 with his best stallions, each bearing his monogram (an encircled H), a painted halter hanging from a nail, and a caption giving the horse's name, breed, age and recipient, including one sent to Emperor Charles V.
The entrance is located at the foot of the castle, which is easy to spot from outside, and the exhibitions are spread across multiple floors. Accessible facilities accommodate visitors with different mobility needs.
The horse frescoes of the noble floor were painted between 1522 and 1527 for Count Enrico Pandone, who bred royal stallions. Each horse carries his monogram, a circled H, a painted bit hanging from a nail, and a caption giving its name, breed, age and the noble recipient. One horse was a gift to Emperor Charles V.
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