Borgo fortificato di Castiglione a Casauria

The fortified village of Castiglione a Casauria stands on a ridge above the Pescara valley. Founded around 980 by Abbot Adami I of San Clemente, it preserves a medieval plan shaped by the abbey that governed the surrounding lands.

Why it matters

Castiglione is a planned settlement whose history remains legible in its triangular form. The village's walls and houses follow the ridge, with the castle at the narrowing point. Its position links the borgo to the nearby Abbey of San Clemente and the agricultural landscape of the middle Pescara valley.

What to notice

The houses stand closely along the ridge, with stone portals, windows and carved balconies made by local stonemasons. A decorated portal from the former church of San Francesco survives in the historic centre. At the village's apex, the walls converge on the triangular castle, known from the eighteenth century as Palazzo De Petris-Fraggiani. The settlement's compact plan makes clear its relationship to the ridge and the valley below.

Context and history

San Clemente a Casauria, founded in 871, became a major landowner and centre of power in the middle Pescara valley. Around 980 Abbot Adami I oversaw construction of the fortified village; the first documentary mention of the castle dates to 987. The castle later acquired the name Palazzo De Petris-Fraggiani. Castiglione's agricultural life also includes a long tradition of Moscatello wine, documented from at least the sixteenth century.