Known as Monteroduni Castle, the Pignatelli Castle stands on the site of a previous Lombard fortification to defend itself from the violent Saracen raids. Transformed by the Pignatelli family into a noble, sumptuous and typically Renaissance residence, the Monteroduni castle assumed its present form at the beginning of the 20th century. The castle remained the residence of the Pignatelli family until 1990, when it passed to the Municipality of Monteroduni . Today it is possible to visit it and inside there are numerous weddings.
Castello Pignatelli History
The Monteroduni castle is located on the highest part of the village from where the Volturno plain dominates with its beautiful crenellated towers.
In the past, the fortress was an important role as a key entry point into the region as a lookout post on the Latin road.
A first residential nucleus, in the places where the current castle stands today, dates back to the Samnite era.
The origins of the castle-fortress instead date back to the Lombard period, when the population was forced to perch to face the violent Saracen raids.
It was with the Norman domination, however, that the castle, for purely military needs, was enlarged compared to the original Lombard structure and strengthened with the raising of the city walls, which also included some houses.
In 1193 the whole country paid dearly for its deployment against Emperor Henry VI in favor of the Norman Tancredi. The German captain Moscaincervello, at the services of the emperor, besieged the castle which was set on fire and razed to the ground. In 1266, during Charles I of Anjou, the Monteroduni fief passed into the properties of the Evoli.
The castle is now in the shape of a trapeze and is built in part on the remains of an ancient Norman tower. The fiefdom passed into the hands of several families, up to the d'Afflitto family who made several and important improvements to the complex: towers were built with very thick walls and equipped to host defense weapons; the balcony at the entrance, and above all the crenellated curtains, which give it a Renaissance style.
In 1668 the castle passed to the Pignatelli family, who transformed it into a real noble residence, and remained its owners until 1990, when it passed to the Municipality of Monteroduni.