Salle Castle was constructed before 1000 as one of the fortresses of the Abbey of Saint Clemente in Casauria. Beside being mentioned in the âChronicum Casaurienseâ, there is documented proof in the incisions found in the Abbeyâs portal which shows that Salle Castle, along with 71 other castles, formed a defensive line.
Therefore, the primary purpose of this castle was defensive. Later, with the evolution of the feudal system, it was also used as a dwelling.
Around 1500 the castle passed through the hands of various families, for example, the Colonna, the Gonzaga and the DâAquino. In 1646 it became the property of the Baron Giacinto de Genua (Di Genova) who was the first to actually live at Salle. He turned the fortress into a noblemanâs palace. The property still belongs to the Di Genova family.
The castle, destroyed by an earthquake in 1915, was restored in the 1970s. It has a quadrangular, but irregular plan with thick walls and two turrets with rectangular battlements and terrace which offers a magnificent view of the Orte valley and the Maiella Mountains.
The castle, a national monument, also has a Civic Museum, a document reserve, medieval arms and weapons, paintings, prints and furnishings of the Di Genova family.