Todi Castle
Castello di Todi | |
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Mario Santoro - Woith | |
The Todi Castle is a former medieval Castle located 15 km south of the town of Todi, to the east side of the town of Collelungo , which is part of the Municipality of Baschi, near Terni, in Umbria, Italy.[1]
The Castle of Capecchio
The
Five hundred years later, in 1275, it became the
In the Castle of Capecchio several additional towers were built in the 10-13th centuries and the original tower was incorporated into a now larger fort or
The fortress presumably was totally
Todi Castle was important from both the military and geographic point of view.[2] The castle stood along a common pilgrimage route to Rome and the area became quite wealthy due to commerce and trade. Todi flourished in the 13th century.[2]
In 1348 the
During the 15th century, the castle was turned into a monastery. A roof was constructed in the courtyard and the space was transformed into a church dedicated to Saints Julietta and Quiricus.[2]
Later, in the 17th century, the monastery was also abandoned and the castle became the object of dispute among several local lords. Lastly, the Landi family of Todi gained ownership of the castle. However, even then the castle remained abandoned for three hundred years. During those years the castle was sacked by armies, and occasionally occupied by bandits.
In the 18th century, the castle was acquired by the Paparini family, important landowners in the area of Moruzze and Todi.[2] And then, in 1974, by Italian Ambassador Giuseppe Santoro and since then is owned by the Santoro family.
The restoration of the Castle of Capecchio, that took place from 1975 to 1980, was entrusted to three architects namely Marcello Confetti, Giorgio Leoni and Vittorio Garatti.
In 1980, the Castle of Capecchio was declared a national monument. The restoration work itself took as long as ten years. The name of the castle was changed several times over the centuries. It was known as Capecchio, Cassa Treia and Casa Arsiccia at various times.[2] The area of this estate spans to 45-acres.[4][5] The Castle was recently recognized as Residenza d 'Epoca, belonging to the National Heritage. It is also part of the prestigious Italian Castle circuit Institute, an international organization under the auspices of the UNESCO.[5]
Architecture
The Estate is surrounded by 250 acres consisting of vineyards, olive groves, fruit trees and cypresses.
In 13th-century, food for animals and soldiers was stored in large quantities within the castle. Rain water was collected for drinking. The soldiers lived in the towers and the animals were kept in the open areas. When the building became a monastery, the courtyard was roofed, and the space was transformed into a church dedicated to Saints Julietta and Quiricus.
The Castrum Ilionis
The Castrum Ilionis was one of the many castles built during the 13th century by the
From Charlemagne onwards, the territory was subdivided into feuds, principally: the Acts for the same Todi, the Montemarte for the northwestern area towards Orvieto, the Chiaravalle for the east, with the Acquasparta epicenter, the Arnolfi for Massa Bindi, Francisci for Baschi and finally Landi, dominating in the south of Todi between Vagli, Morre and Collelungo to the watershed of Monte Croce. The importance of these families is documented by the statute of the Comune of Todi dated 1337, which regulates the relations between these families, their feuds, and the comune; however, there are no boundary lines exactly defining the fiefs of many of the families.
For the Landi, their origin dates earlier than the commune. The Castiglione or Castrum Ilionis, home of the Landi family, as well as the "Villa" in which the lord's subordinates live. The Landi also owned the contiguous Villa de Franconibus lived his people. Del Castrum remains a very well preserved tower, masonry, terrain, underground and defense bastions. Next to a space, the remains of a fortified village, a pievania and a cemetery are less well conserved. This area was completely abandoned in the 14th century for uncertain causes, but probably linked to an economic and social crisis that coincided with the spread of plague.
Villas on the Estate
The photo-artist
Legends about ghosts
According to legend, the Landi family wanted to sell the castle in the 16th century when Lucrezia, Gerolamo Landi's wife died in 1723 while delivering her first child. She was buried in the castle, in the chapel. According to the locals, the ghost of Lucrezia still wanders through the rooms of the castle on many occasions.[2]
References
- ^ "TodiCastle - eNotes.com Reference". Enotes.com. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "TodiCastle, Todi | Italy". Lifeinitaly.com. 2010-01-27. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
- ^ Helen Arnold (1 October 2009). 1001 Escapes to Experience Before You Die. Barron's.
- ^ "TodiCastle, Voc. Capecchio, Fraz. Collelungo Di Baschi, Comune Di Baschi (Todi), 05020, Italy". Travval.com. 2009-11-03. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
- ^ a b "TodiCastle Residenza, Montecchio". Montecchiohotels.iwax.com. Retrieved 2012-02-08.