The Baronial Castle:
the Gulf Tower

The baronial castle rises on a rock  around which is built the concentric village, according to the scheme of the medieval town-planning; it’s made by an L shaped of 20x30 m body, occupies a surface of 520 sq.m plus a garden of about 344 sq.m.The garden is surrounded  by embattled walls with two towers.

This castle belonged to several families: Gambacorta, Palamolla, Brandi; nowadays it is town property, seat of a University and congress centre.

The castle has a severe and imposing appearance due to the high enclosure walls  which rise, without  chromatic solution of continuity, from the rock. It was built in the XVI century on the ruins of a late medieval castle. It belonged to the illustrious family Palamolla, whose blazon , datable late 500/early 600, with its two painted caryatids, is at the entrance. It was still in use in the second half of the 800, as reads the inscription on the door of the first hall where was welcomed king Ferdinand II, on the 15th October 1852.

At the entrance you can see the weapons of the Family Palamolla, there are some pictures representing the Madonna, San Michele Arcangelo and the episode of Olindo and Sofronia from “The Gerusalemme liberata” by Tasso.

 “ of severe appearance, erected on rough stones, surrounded by embattled walls, towers over  a mountainous coast, storm-proof fortress, the palace of the ancient barons”                              
                                         (In La fede degli Avi nostri) ( In The Faith of our ancestors)