Castles

Castle of Macchia d'Isernia

History records mention a Saracen incursion in the 10^th century. In 1269 Macchia belonged to Amerigo de Sus. During the Angevin period it was allotted to Aldemario of Scalea, until Robert of Anjou gave it in feud to his wife Sancia. The subsequent history of Macchia was tied to that of the nearby settlement of Monteroduni. Prominent among the counts who had control of the village during the 17^th century were the Della Marra, who were probably of Norman origin.
The castle occupies the upper part of the village, a position of significant topographical pre-eminence which is visible from afar. The side of the keep that fronts the church has an uninterrupted wall while that facing the square is adorned by a tower crowned with a small loggia and wide portico, signs of the numerous re-adaptations that the castle underwent over the centuries. Despite the evidence of a fortified structure with escarpment, today the building has the aspect of a residential palace originating from the merging of different bodies at different periods, which are still partly recognisable. The keep reminds one of the castle of Venafro in its dimensions and construction technique. The main entrance is preceded by a staircase that leads to a wide trapezoid inner courtyard. Still visible are traces of the drawbridge supports, while on the wall by the entrance to the burgh, facing the castle, a series of corbels support a jutting structure with openings for dropping missiles.
The village church flanks the castle, creating a narrow passage that opens onto a small square