The first document to mention the castle in Carovignot dates back to 1163. Since then, the fortress fell in the hands of several rulers, the Normans of Geoffrey III of Montescaglioso, the Swabians in 1194 and the Angevines in 1306. In 1382 it passed to the prince of Taranto Raimondo del Balzo Orsini who then bequeathed it to his wife, queen Maria of Enghien, countess of Lecce.
The present appearance of the castle is due to recontruction works carried out between 1300's and the 1400's on a previous building. The rare triangular plan features angular towers connected to each other by curtain walls. The whole upper level is slightly jutting, while the walls are thickly crenellated. The curvilinear tower further amplifies the impression of a military building and unveils the Senese influence of the architect Francesco di Giorgio Martini.
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.