Forte Castellina (Museo La Castellina)

La Castellina is a sixteenth-century fortified residence on Norcia's Piazza San Benedetto. Its compact mass and corner bastions express the authority of the papal governors for whom it was built.

Why it matters

The building combines the roles of fortress and administrative palace. Its later conversion to a museum added a setting for the civic and religious art of Norcia and its territory.

What to notice

The square plan and projecting corner bastions distinguish the exterior. The restrained masonry contrasts with the surrounding square's religious and civic buildings. The museum's historical collections include a painted Crucifix signed by Petrus Pictor and dated 1241, and a medieval group of polychrome wooden figures depicting the Deposition.

Context and history

Julius III commissioned Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola to design the fortress. Work began in 1554 and continued until 1562. From 1569 it housed the Prefettura della Montagna. Municipal offices occupied the building after 1860, followed by a museum in 1967 and the Civic and Diocesan Museum in 1979. Repeated earthquakes, including that of 2016, made restoration a major part of its subsequent history.