Castel del Monte (Abruzzo)
| Castel del Monte | ||
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| Comune | ||
| Comune di Castel del Monte | ||
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 Castel del Monte
Location of Castel del Monte in Italy
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| Coordinates: 42°22′0″N 13°43′44″E / 42.36667°N 13.72889°E | ||
| Country | Italy | |
| Region | Abruzzo | |
| Province | L'Aquila (AQ) | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Luciano Mucciante | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 57.83 km2 (22.33 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 1,346 m (4,416 ft) | |
| Population (31 December 2013) | ||
| • Total | 467 | |
| • Density | 8.1/km2 (21/sq mi) | |
| Demonym(s) | Castellani | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| Postal code | 67023 | |
| Dialing code | 0862 | |
| Patron saint | Saint Donatus | |
| Saint day | 7 August | |
Castel del Monte is a medieval and Renaissance hill town and comune in the province of L'Aquila in northern Abruzzo, Italy. Located in the heart of the Gran Sasso mountain range, the town is set into a steep hillside nestled beneath mountain peaks near the high plain of Campo Imperatore. Castel del Monte sits opposite the ancient mountaintop fortress of Rocca Calascio and faces Monte Sirente in the distance. It is located in the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park.
The name Castel del Monte is from the Latin Castellum Montis, meaning "fortress of the mountain". The first evidence of human settlement are artifacts from the 11th century BC discovered in the valley beneath Castel del Monte and believed to be from an ancient necropolis. In the 4th century BC, Romans conquered the area and established Città delle Tre Corone, the name meaning "town of the three crowns". This town was later abandoned after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, and replaced by the fortified town of Ricetto in what is now the oldest part of Castel del Monte.
The first recorded mention of Castellum Del Monte came in 1223 in a papal bull by Pope Honorius III. In 1298, the Counts of Aquaviva took possession of the town. In 1474, it passed to Alessandro Sforza and a short time later to the Piccolominis. In 1501, forces loyal to Spain plundered Castel del Monte because of the town's allegiance to France.
In 1579, the Piccolominis ceded the village as part of the Baronage of Carapelle to Francesco de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. The Medici, who governed the baronage for over a century-and-a-half, left their imprint on Castel del Monte. Among the Medici legacies to the town is the construction of Chiesa "Matrice" di San Marco in 1657, whose tower is one of the dominant architectural features of Castel del Monte; the painting of St. John the Baptist in the church of Madonna del Suffragio by Bernardino di Lorenzo di Monaldo (circa 1585) commissioned by Francesco de' Medici himself; and the diminutive Chiesa di San Rocco (1656).
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