Where a princess lured a count to a 9th-century tower

In 1097, Count Ugo Malmozzetto was lured to the fortress of Castrum Pauperim. A princess from the nearby fort of Prezza lured the ruthless and power-hungry man to the castle, where he was subsequently captured and killed by her brothers who had set the ambush.

By the turn of the 11th century, the site held a Lombard tower dating back to the 9th century. Between 1000 and 1015, the Bishop of Valva Tidolfo expanded it into a triangular enclosure. The Cantelmo family took over in 1269 and spent centuries renovating. They added a cylindrical south tower and refined the pentagonal upper keep during the Renaissance. In 1480, the family moved to the Ducal Palace in Popoli Terme.

A 1706 earthquake caused serious damage, and a 2009 tremor required even more serious consolidation. The towers were restored between 2012 and 2015. Visitors can walk the ascent path mapped out in the 1920s to see the ruins today. The site features a triangular layout and a mix of defenses including the cylindrical tower constructed by Count Restaino IV Cantelmo.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons