Castles
Castle of Gambatesa
 |
 |
Castle of Gambatesa |
The earliest mentions
date back to the middle of the 12th century and refer to the
Gambatesa family, which was possibly a branch of the Molisio family. The castle,
which stands on a tufaceous ridge at the confluence of the river Fortore and the
Tappino stream, has a commanding view of the ponte della Zittola-Lucera
sheep-track. It has a four-sided layout with an inner courtyard and two square
corner towers. The building has an escarpment along its entire perimeter (the
one on the western side is very steep) and remains of the battlements. The wall
stratigraphies bear witness to a number of modifications superimposed on the
original nucleus (tower before the establishment of the feud) and referring to
the northern body, the west wing, the corner towers and repeated interior
transformations. The castle still preserves a valuable series of frescoes by
Donato Decumbertino (1550). Of special documentary interest are the landscapes
depicting imaginary Roman-style architectures.
