Urgnano Castle, Urgnano, Italy

Urgnano castle was built in the 14th century to the site of older medieval fort. Throughout history, this Castle belonged to the Republic of Venice and many well-known families, such as Barbarossa, Visconti, Sforza, Malatesta and Colleoni. It was also sold to G. Gerolamo Albani, who became Cardinal Albani in Rome. This castle has been a property of the Municipality since 1953.

The castle has a square plan with a tower at each corner. It is surrounded by a moat, which had a defensive function, and it is made of cotto tiles, a characteristic related to the architectural style of the Visconti. The castle has two entrances. One is part of the massive north tower, which was used to monitor the drawbridge. The other entrance corresponds to the tower on the opposite side of the castle.

The inner area of the castle can be divided into two parts. In the eastern part there is a yard, while in the western part there is a roof garden where you can see nine small caricatures, which in the XVIII century were an expression of the grotesque.

References:

pianuradascoprire.it

Church of St Donatus

The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.

The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.

The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.

Natalie (3 years ago)
Free Historic

Anna Polom (6 years ago)
Shame it was closed!!! Seems like a nice castle but not open to visitors, not even the garden. It looks like it's open only on specific days like once a month

Laura Ceribelli (6 years ago)
Super!!

Alessandro Manieri (6 years ago)
Old is gold

Urgnano Castle

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus