Castles

Castle of Roccamandolfi    

Castle of Roccamandolfi

Historical sources recount the fight between Roger, Count of Molise, and Corrado di Lutzelinhart, to whom Henry VI had entrusted the county. The castle was destroyed by Frederick II (1222-23) and later dismantled by order of Carlo d’Angị (1270).
The remains of this imposing structure are located on a hilltop at approximately 1080 metres’ elevation, in an isolated position commanding the Matese pass, far from the major communication routes. The structures of the fortress, perfectly integrated with the bedrock, follow the natural outline of the terrain. The planimetry shows a four-sided body (possibly the donjon) and an irregular enceinte that incorporates the former with two sides, to the north and west. The single entrance is preceded by a ramp located on the eastern side and is well defended by five curtain towers, three of them semicircular and the other two circular. The defence apparatuses consist of arrow slits with pronounced splay. The construction technique of the southern curtain wall is especially interesting due to the presence of holes designed to accommodate wooden bars which, set on regular horizontal planes, indicate the construction sequence. The walls on the other sides overhang the rocky ridge with which they are effectively integrated. The fortress of Roccamandolfi (the toponym originates from the Longobard rocca Maginulfi) is an example of a fortification that is hard to interpret. The reference models are few and comparisons with other structures cannot always be relied on. What is certain is that this fortification displays many singular characteristics that only the ongoing researches can help to clarify.