Celano’s Castello Piccolomini was started in 1392 and embellished by its namesake Antonio Piccolomini in 1463. Its quadrangular towers are one of those “can’t miss” sights as you drive around Abruzzo, and the compact Marsica Museum housed inside overlooking its portico courtyard is worth a short visit.
Orginally Celano overlooked Italy’s third-largest lake, Lago Fucino, until it was drained which is why the landscape around Celano and the castle appears out of kilter with the rest of Abruzzo as it sits loftily on San Vittorino. It’s not the most picturesque area of Abruzzo, beyond the motherly La Serra mountain that provides a backdrop. The 1915 earthquake wiped out many of the area’s small medieval villages, so you do face functional new builds and fields as a vista, and the castle itself is heavily restored from this natural disaster. I’m one for the environment that surrounds a place as much as a building itself, hence my love for Rocca Calascio and Civitella del Tronto. Castello Piccolomini doesn’t quite hold this magic, I am sure when Lake Fucino was there this was a little different, but don’t expect such a heady “wow” feeling; to get that have a look at the watercolour Edward Lear’s made in 1843, now held in New York’s Morgan Library and available online to get an idea of how it once looked.
The Marsica Museum (Museo della Marsica) that is housed in the castel was superb! Its 11 rooms were neither too big nor too little. Even though I speak some Italian I was so appreciative of the translations for the pieces which allowed me to look rather than fret over a possible misunderstanding on my part – not all Abruzzo museums have this. The archaeological info and models about the former Lake were interesting to view as part of the Collezione Torlonia di Antichità del Fucino that had been excavated from the lake. The three-pronged fishing spears or tridents were wonderful, and the agility required to dig deep into the waters with that and pull a few fish out was obviously a skill in itself! Watch out for the mermaid – it’s always surprising how they pop up in every culture. Looking at the intact iron age armour was amazing, not least when it sat next to contemporary weaponry that was obviously purpose-built to bludgeon its wearers to death in brutal style.
If you’ve been to the Roman lost city of Alba Fucens and its later-period church of San Pietro, it will be a treat to see the original wooden doors here. Viewing the different styles of sacred art and particularly its various altar ornamentation from such close-by churches naturally gets you wondering about their citizens’ respective incomes and the history of each location.
Castello Piccolomini & Museo della Marsica
Opening Hours: 09.00-20.00 (closed Mondays), free on the First Sunday of the Month
Address: Largo Cavaliere di Vittorio Veneto | 67050 | Celano (AQ)
Official website: http://www.museodellamarsica.beniculturali.it/
Author: Sam Dunham
Sam is a freelance SEO content creator and IGCSE Geography and English teacher in Rome. She also runs the Life In Abruzzo Cultural Association, sharing stories and insights about this captivating region. Alongside raising a teenager, Sam hosts guests at her family’s traditional home, the Little House of the Firefly in Abruzzo, offering a warm welcome and insider tips on local culture, food, and hidden gems.
Fascinating museum and place – but why on earth did they drain Italy's third largest lake? Hydropower?
The justification at the time was malaria & unstable springs that fed the lake that caused repeated flooding of the farms around it, but yes imagine if they'd been able to stabilize it and use it today for clean power 🙂
I guess Torlonia just wanted to be immortal…and rich! But I don't forgive him, he could have controlled the level of the water with the civil engineering project, not let it all drain away. Can we have a bit of it back? Have a look at Patrizia's images of some old paintings… http://www.flickr.com/photos/donna_ortucchiensis/…