Castles

Castle of Gambatesa

The earliest mentions date back to the middle of the 12^th 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.