Amendolea Castle has Norman origins, and it was enlarged subsequently in the late Middle Ages. It is now made up of two recognizable parts. One is the entrance of parallel piped shape, separated by a wall around the residential area. And the second is the rectangular hall of the latter, with very high walls and arched windows and small towers, one of which, isolated, served as a dungeon. With an irregular plan and strong walls, the Castle houses a chapel tower, built in the Norman age. At the second level of the tower, there is a small apsidal church with an entrance facing south, as in the Byzantine tradition. The castle was rebuilt several times, until the earthquake of 1783 that caused important collapses that could not be fixed.
References:The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.