Venosa Castle (Italy)

The Aragonese Castle, also Castello di Venosa, is a fortress in the municipality of Venosa, in the Italian region of Basilicata, in the province of Potenza.

Pirro del Balzo had the fortress built during the reign of the House of Aragon over Naples. The fortress is located on the southern edge of the plateau occupied by the settlement.

The fortress dates back to 1470 and was to be part of a larger fortification project. The imposing building has a square plan with four cylindrical corner towers. The Del Balzos coat of arms, a radiant sun, is visible on the west tower. The construction of the fortress and the excavation of the moat according to the doctrine of a modern star fort required the demolition of the Romanesque cathedral and the surrounding district. As a result, a new cathedral was built in an extension of the settlement at the bottom of the plateau on which the settlement is located.

Carlo and Emanuele Gesualdo had the fortress transformed into a noble residence, adding an internal loggia, the north-east wing and the redoubts at the foot of the towers. The Accademia dei Rinascenti has been located there since 1612.

The four cylindrical angular towers are supported by the redoubts which form the slope of the moat; they served as prisons. The entire building, which is accessed via a drawbridge, is surrounded by a deep moat. Inside the complex there is a large courtyard surrounded by a Renaissance loggia. In front of the fortress, on the other hand, there is a square in front of it and a monumental fountain donated by Charles V to Venosa.

Inside, in the basement of the towers, there is the National Archaeological Museum of Venosa, which collects mainly rich testimonies of the Roman colony of Venusia.