Description
Castello Monforte is the symbol of Campobasso: a massive stone quadrangle on top of the hill that towers over the city, at about 790 meters. From up there you can see the whole of Molise, and beyond.
It is named after Count Nicola II Monforte, known as Cola, who rebuilt it in 1458 after the earthquake of 1456. A castle already stood here before: a parchment of 1375 mentions it, and traces of Samnite walls remain on the hill.
The reward for the climb is the panoramic terrace, reached by a bare flight of steps. Your gaze runs from the valleys of the Biferno, the Trigno and the Fortore to the Majella, the mountains of Upper Molise and the yellow hills of Apulia.
From above you can also read the city: the old town fanning out down the slope, the remains of the Oscan-Samnite walls and, all around, a ring of small villages.
Outside, the castle has the stern look of a fortress: Guelph merlons along the whole top of the walls, windows so small they blend in with the arrow slits, and a tall rectangular tower rising above the rest.
Above the old entrance, facing the city and no longer used, you can still see traces of the drawbridge and the Monforte coat of arms: a cross surrounded by four roses. The interior, on the other hand, is very bare.
The castle was built for war rather than for court life. Cola Monforte joined it to a circuit of walls and towers running down the hill, creating a true fortified citadel: part of it can still be seen in the old town.
In the 18th century it was abandoned and became a prison, attacked several times by brigands. It was restored in 1936-1937, when a memorial to the war dead was set up in two of its halls.
Beneath the castle spread underground chambers as large as the building itself. No one knows what they were for: perhaps cisterns, a prison or a shelter. One cell in the dungeons was certainly a prison, and for centuries people called it the torture chamber.
From there, according to popular belief, a secret passage, now walled up, ran down the hill to Porta Sant'Antonio Abate. Another, tradition says, led out of the city to the hill of San Giovannello, as an escape route.
Around the castle, on the slope, the Via Matris park traces the Stations of the Cross among the trees.
Don't miss
• The panoramic terrace.
• The Guelph merlons and the tower.
• The Monforte coat of arms.
• The underground chambers.
Did you know?
• The tower houses the Italian Air Force weather station: at 808 meters, it is one of the highest in Italy.
• In 2012 the castle appeared on a five-euro silver coin from the "Italy of the Arts" series.
It is named after Count Nicola II Monforte, known as Cola, who rebuilt it in 1458 after the earthquake of 1456. A castle already stood here before: a parchment of 1375 mentions it, and traces of Samnite walls remain on the hill.
The reward for the climb is the panoramic terrace, reached by a bare flight of steps. Your gaze runs from the valleys of the Biferno, the Trigno and the Fortore to the Majella, the mountains of Upper Molise and the yellow hills of Apulia.
From above you can also read the city: the old town fanning out down the slope, the remains of the Oscan-Samnite walls and, all around, a ring of small villages.
Outside, the castle has the stern look of a fortress: Guelph merlons along the whole top of the walls, windows so small they blend in with the arrow slits, and a tall rectangular tower rising above the rest.
Above the old entrance, facing the city and no longer used, you can still see traces of the drawbridge and the Monforte coat of arms: a cross surrounded by four roses. The interior, on the other hand, is very bare.
The castle was built for war rather than for court life. Cola Monforte joined it to a circuit of walls and towers running down the hill, creating a true fortified citadel: part of it can still be seen in the old town.
In the 18th century it was abandoned and became a prison, attacked several times by brigands. It was restored in 1936-1937, when a memorial to the war dead was set up in two of its halls.
Beneath the castle spread underground chambers as large as the building itself. No one knows what they were for: perhaps cisterns, a prison or a shelter. One cell in the dungeons was certainly a prison, and for centuries people called it the torture chamber.
From there, according to popular belief, a secret passage, now walled up, ran down the hill to Porta Sant'Antonio Abate. Another, tradition says, led out of the city to the hill of San Giovannello, as an escape route.
Around the castle, on the slope, the Via Matris park traces the Stations of the Cross among the trees.
Don't miss
• The panoramic terrace.
• The Guelph merlons and the tower.
• The Monforte coat of arms.
• The underground chambers.
Did you know?
• The tower houses the Italian Air Force weather station: at 808 meters, it is one of the highest in Italy.
• In 2012 the castle appeared on a five-euro silver coin from the "Italy of the Arts" series.