Photo: Casalephotography, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
At a glance
- Type
- Castle
- Period
- Middle Ages, 1488
- Protection
- Italian national heritage
- Coordinates
- 41°57′19″ N, 13°38′38″ E
History and description
Castello Piccolomini (Italian for Piccolomini Castle) is a Middle Ages castle in Ortucchio, Province of L'Aquila (Abruzzo).
History
The Piccolomini Castle originally stood on the island of Ortucchio by Lake Fucino. The structure was surrounded by a moat whose waters were connected to the lake. With the lake's drainage, this protection was lost.
The Renaissance-style structure was commissioned in 1488 by Antonio Todeschini Piccolomini following the destruction of a previous fortification by Napoleone Orsini.
Damaged by the 1915 Avezzano earthquake, the building was restored in the 1970s.
Architecture
The castle has a rectangular plan with circular towers at the corners of the walls, with only the base remaining of the northwest tower.
The entrance portal to the castle is located on the wall facing the village, and above the portal is a plaque bearing the date of the Piccolomini reconstruction.
Inside the walls is the keep, the oldest structure of the castle, characterized by battlements around its perimeter.
Text from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Full article: «Piccolomini Castle».
Timeline
- 1488Built
Events and people from Wikidata (CC0).
Photos
Getting there
PescinaTrain, nearest
9.4 km as the crow flies
Piccolomini Castle
Distances are as the crow flies, not walking or driving.
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Nearby
See on the mapMore castles in Abruzzo
- Free 1st Sunday
Frequently asked questions
Where is Piccolomini Castle?
Piccolomini Castle is in Ortucchio, in the province of L'Aquila (Abruzzo), Italy. GPS coordinates: 41.95515, 13.64392.
How old is Piccolomini Castle?
Wikidata dates it to 1488.
What else is there to see near Piccolomini Castle?
Nearby you’ll find: Grotta La Cava (2.6 km away), Grotta La Punta (2.7 km away), Area archeologica di Rio Tavana (2.9 km away).
Sources and licences
Text. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Data. Wikidata (CC0); opening hours and contacts OpenStreetMap (ODbL).
Photos. Wikimedia Commons, author and licence on every image.
Credits for the 7 photos
- Castello di Ortucchio — Casalephotography, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Castello Piccolomini di Ortucchio iscrizione — Marica Massaro, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Castello Piccolomini di Ortucchio — Marica Massaro, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ortucchio castello Piccolomini 2018 — Marica Massaro, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ortucchio-Castello Piccolomini — Claudio Migliori, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Castello di Ortucchio 2019 — Giovanni Casale Photographer, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Castello Ortucchio 2016d — Marica Massaro, CC BY-SA 4.0
Updated 28 October 2026. All sources and licences