Tramontano Castle - Matera (Italy)
Basilicata See list of castles in Italia
The construction of these massive towers began in the early 1500s by the Count of Matera Gian Carlo Tramontano, born in S. Anastasia.
Aragonese in style, it was conceived with the aim of defending the city along the most exposed side, but it remained unfinished due to the killing of the Count, which occurred during a violent popular uprising on December 29, 1514. The very high cost of the work, equal to to over 25 thousand ducats and the very low pay of 6 money a day, they contributed to toughen the minds of the people of Matera, who put an end to the abuses in one of the most violent pages of the city's history.
The moral of this episode can be read in the motto on the city coat of arms, which reads "Bos lassus firmius figit pedem", literally "the tired ox sinks his paw more firmly" to signify the charge of violence that can manifest itself in a peaceful people, but tired of harassment.
The castle, never inhabited for the reasons mentioned above, is being restored with the redevelopment of the entire area and the construction of a real park, as planned for several years.