The Castle Succorte Fontana Liri (Italy)

The Castle Succorte dates back to the half of the year 1000 and it was built mainly for defence purposes against the Normans, a population of adventurous people who invaded Italy from the North to the Centre.
Initially, the Castle had two entrances, one through the principal door (that still exists) on which there stuck out an enormous emblem made of stone, robbed in 1983. On it, an eagle with open wings, a helmet and a sword were illustrated.
On the sides of the principal door, there were two square towers, the one on the right does not exist anymore, while the one on the left is still intact, with its beautiful crenellations and a characteristic corbelled and arcaded cornice. It also has a big watch still functioning. The tower confers to the historic centre the characteristic Mediaeval aspect. Thanks to the remains of the castle, it can be deduced from its original architecture, composed of a ground floor - with a room designated as a guard post and an annexed prison -, stables, and accommodations destined for the soldiers and the servants.
The floor right above the first, the castellan’s residence, was composed of different rooms, amongst them there was a spacious hall. Around 1190, the first habitations around the castle were built, with defensive purposes, as proven by the fortified towers still existing today.
At the start of the XIII century, the hard conflicts between the papacy and the Empire involved Fontana Liri too and, according to historic documents, the Castle Succorte was destroyed in 1191 by Henry VI of Swabia. With time, it was rebuilt and renewed but it was destroyed again in 1229, by Thomas Aquinas who, at that time, was Frederick II of Swabia’s general captain. The first information on the property of the Castle date back to 1187, when it was owned by the count Roberto di Caserta, who sent two soldiers to participate in the third Crusade outlawed by Gregory VIII. In 1295 it was given as a feud by King Charles II to the count Roffredo II Caetani, brother of Boniface VIII.
In 1443 the feud was the property of the count Nicolò Cantelmo. The tradition wants that, in those years, King Alfonso I of Aragon was a guest of the Castel Succorte maybe for a month, he was brought to the Castle in a litter due to health problems.
During the following years, Fontana and its Castle became the property of the papacy: in fact, Pope Pio II, in his writings, said that the Castle in Fontana was situated in a strategic position and was excellently fortified. Between 1472 and 1580, Fontana became the property of the Della Rovere, a noble family that came from Savona, whereas from 1580 to 1796 the feud was in the hands of the Boncompagni family, owners of the Boncompagni Castle in Isola del Liri. In this Castle, still today, a panel made of plaster from the XVII century illustrates the feud of Fontana.
During the month of August 1796, Duke Antonio II Maria Bognompagni Ludovisi ceded the duchy of Sora, which included Fontana too, to the Royal Property of Naples.