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The Salle Castle  is in Salle (PE), within the Orta Valley Regional Reserve. Officially declared Italian National Monument, it was built before 1000, as a fief of the San Clemente Abbey in Casauria for its strategic position that allowed the control and defense of the valley. Only after the XVI century, with the Reign of Naples, it became the home of the Colonna, Gonzaga and D’Aquino families.

In 1646 it became property of Baron Giacinto de Genua, who changed it radically into a palazzo. The castle was then destroyed by the earthquake of 1915 and restored in the 70ies. Surrounded by the remains of the old village that, after the disaster, was rebuilt more downstream, has a quadrangular map with two small towers and a terrace with a wonderful view on the Orta Valley and on the Majella. The main branch is occupied by the Beato Roberto da Salle Church, whereas the main façade has three entrances topped by embrasures; in front of the most important one there is a 16^th Century fountain. An area is dedicated to the Bourbonic Medieval Museum (1979), with tapestries, sacred vestments, weapons and armours, torture tools, 18^th Century cannons, maps of ancient Abruzzo, military and knightly decorations, 19^th century paintings and prints and photographs of Salle. Within, the neogothic hall and the elegant bedroom, empire style, where they say Napoleon Bonaparte had slept.

The inner court holds an Italian garden.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)