Castles

Castles of Roccapipirozzi 

Roccapipirozzi, founded by the refugees from Venafrom, is an isolated burgh on the boundary with Campania. Of Medieval origin, it is well preserved from a town-planning and architectural standpoint. The castle consists of a tall enceinte with an irregular layout enclosing a circular tower. It stands on a spur of calcareous rock in a prominent position overlooking the town and commanding a vast portion of territory. The enceinte and tower are not apparently contemporary: an enceinte with a square tower existed, perhaps, during the Longobard domination. This was replaced, either following a catastrophic event or to satisfy new defence requirements, by a circular tower built directly on an outcrop of rock. Gradually, the tower took on the role of redoubt, accessible only through a torturous trail and, perhaps, a small drawbridge. The tower is crowned by stone corbels, bearing witness to its use in the late Middle Ages. Other interesting military elements are the arrow slits in the merlons. These are somewhat rudimentary, with an unusual terminating part consisting of two sections that form a “cappuccina”. It is probable that these were originally bow slits not re-adapted for use as harquebus loopholes.
It seems that the castle was no longer used after its typically military function ceased, so it is probable that the surviving portions have not suffered from later contaminations and re-adaptations.