Castello di Ugento

Ugento’s castle occupies the town’s highest point. A medieval fortress rebuilt by successive feudal lords, it became a baroque residence under the D’Amore family. Its first-floor halls preserve a cycle of frescoes commissioned in 1692.

Why it matters

The castle brings together the military and residential histories of Ugento. Its successive rebuilding reflects the town’s changing rulers, while the D’Amore family’s transformation of the fortress added an extensive decorative programme to the earlier structure.

What to notice

The 1692 frescoes combine scenes from classical mythology, the Old Testament and Roman history. In the Salone Antico, the imagery draws on Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The family crest depicts a pelican feeding three chicks above three hills, representing the fiefs of Ugento, Ruffano and San Mango. The castle also preserves the remains of its earlier defensive structures, including altered tower bases.

Context and history

The castle probably stands over Roman and Byzantine remains; a Norman stronghold is recorded around 1020. Turkish forces devastated it in 1537, destroying two towers and much of the western wing. Reconstruction began under Count Vincenzo Pandone in 1564 and continued under Emmanuele Vaaz de Andrada in 1642. The D’Amore family acquired the complex in 1643 and commissioned the frescoes in 1692. Restoration campaigns began in 2013.