Maiolica on Heritage Site
The town of Castelli is located at an altitude of 500 meters above sea level, on a spur eroded over time and by the impetuous flow of the mountain waters, already settled in the second century B.C. according to some conjectures. The original layout of the village dates back to Roman times and possibly to Italic times in the surrounding hills; Pliny the Elder in his Natural History identifies the territory of Castelli within the Ager Hatrianus. At the time of the barbarian invasions, it is highly probable that the inhabitants of the territory took refuge in the naturally defensible site where today stands the historical center and this phenomenon probably gave rise to the toponym “Li Castelli”.
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Around 800 A.D., on a hillside slope adjacent to the town of Castelli, the Abbey of San Salvatore and the convent attached to it were founded, which hosted monks and possibly offered asylum to Pope Paschal II, who took refuge there to escape persecution from the excommunicated Henry V. To reciprocate the hospitality, the Pope would have granted the Diocese of Nullius and other benefits and rights to the Abbey, substantially increasing its wealth and power.
Noteworthy is the numerous presence of churches and devotional sites in the area, underlining the historical depth the Abbey of Castelli has had, to the extent that even today the parish priest of Castelli holds the title of Abbot. Among the most important figures linked to the history of the Abbey of San Salvatore and San Berardo, bishop of Teramo, who had his origins in the monastery, was loved and esteemed by the people of San Vito and Castelli. The church of San Berardo belonged to the family of Pagliara or Palaearia, counts who dominated the territory of Valle Siciliana, whose castle is still visible in the surrounding hills to the people, although now in ruins. Notable among the Pagliara family is Beatrice Santa Colomba, one of the first and rare figures of female hermitism in Abruzzo.
From the first half of the 1500s, Castelli and the Valle Siciliana passed under the dominion of the Marquises of Alarcon and Mendoza of Spain. It is historically acknowledged that the opening of Castelli’s majolica to the most important noble houses of Italy and Europe.
Provisionally located inside the Craftsmanship Museum Palace at the center of the village, the Ceramics Museum of Castelli preserves one of the largest collections of majolica from all eras. The museum palace (currently under restoration) has been established inside an old Franciscan convent which retains a magnificent cloister entirely frescoed by masters from Urbino in 1712 with images of the life of the Virgin. Attached to the convent is the elegant church of the Madonna of Constantinople (or Madonna of the Angels), dated 1695. The presence of the convent of the Minor Observants and the Third Franciscan Order has ensured that Castelli still today enjoys the Privilege of Assisi, by virtue of which the participation in the sacraments during the festival of the Madonna degli Angeli grants the attainment of a plenary indulgence. The convent hosted the School of Art until the realization of the current building in 1984, which is the seat of the Museum.
Chiesa di San Rocco. Pietro Valocchi: Wikimedia Commons CC4.0
The church of San Rocco or Church of the Cona presents a splendid façade dating back to 1530 and a barrel vault, probably from the commissioning clients. Over the entrance is a terracotta depicting San Rocco. The church preserves inside an altarpiece in ceramics representing San Rocco and conserves a majolica floor of the 1550s. Seat of the Confraternity of the Dead Christ, inside it preserves the beautiful sixteenth-century statue depicting the Madonna Addolorata, a work by Francesco Caramia, previously kept in the church and now held in a sixteenth-century fresco depicting the Madonna with Child by Andrea De Litio (currently outside for restoration). The church is connected to a moving episode during the XVII century when it was believed that from one of the frescoes tears were shed; the church is therefore also known as the church of the Madonna delle Lacrime (Madonna of Tears)
Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista, Pietro Valocchi: Wikimedia Commons CC4.0
Built at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries (the portal bears the date 1601), the parish church of San Giovanni Battista is the main church of the town. It houses, among other things, the remains of the ruined Abbey of San Salvatore: to the Abbey belong the stones of the staircase, the external columns, the majolica tiles with the figure of the Griffin, the lamb with the Four Evangelists on the sides and above all, the splendid Wooden Madonna. This last piece is a polychrome wooden statue dating back to the 13th century, depicting the Madonna enthroned with Jesus in her arms, of rare beauty and in excellent condition.
The interior of the church has three naves and is illuminated by polychrome glass windows and a central, polychrome oculus at the end of the apse. The church still preserves a precious 1647 altarpiece in ceramics painted by Francesco Grue, depicting the Madonna of Loreto. Next to it, on the right wall, there is a seventeenth-century canvas representing the martyrdom of Saint Matthias, a work by Bernardino Monaldi, and, in the background, the altar of Saint Eusanio, the protector of Castelli. On the left, instead, a seventeenth-century crucifixion and the Annunciation, also in majolica, a work by Stefano Cappelletti, also seventeenth-century, and a canvas with Saint Anthony the Abbot, another saint particularly dear to the popular devotion of Castelli. Finally, noteworthy is the altar of Santa Anna, with a wooden and majolica crucifix, probably a fine example of the workshop's realization—Pompei.
Castelli (TE): Chiesa di San Donato. Pietro Valocchi: Wikimedia Commons CC4.0
Located a couple of kilometers from the center of Castelli, the small church of San Donato is a unique worldwide with its ceiling entirely covered with majolica tiles. A first ceiling, characterized by the prevalence of blue tones, was made in the '500. When it was decided to enlarge the church and create a new ceiling for the realization of a new ceiling, this first majolica covering was moved just above the ancient altar of the small church and then, to limit its already notable wear, it was internally museumized. The second ceiling was made in 1615 and 1617 and is still in place. The over eighty tiles that make it up depict sacred images, animals real and fantastic, coats of arms, geometric or floral decorations which flank the many faces of Castelli characters of the time, many of which also have the name indicated. The presence of so many invocations to the Madonna and the images of litanies explains the original dedication of the small church to the Virgin; the title with San Donato is late and linked to the strong popular devotion to this saint, protector of children and epileptics.
At the northern end of the village, at the end of via Carmine Gentile, there was one of the village's access gates, still known today as the "Porta al borgo"; although the gate no longer exists, its name is still used, and access has been walled up. Right next to the gate stood the house of Orazio Pompei, one of the master potters and main representatives of Castelli majolica. Still legible is a plaque inserted in the wall outside the gate with a gallery of art written "Haec est domus Orazii figuli" (this is the house of Orazio the potter)
The imposing and characteristic wall that encircles the slope of the village, a short distance from the Leomogna torrent that has eroded the spur on which Castelli rises, was built following the earthquake that struck Avezzano in 1915 and that brought down the last row of houses that once stood there. Today, what the people of Castelli call "Lo stecato" stands in its place. Beyond this point on the road, there used to be the church of San Pietro, the former parish church, which was also permanently lost after the earthquake and has long been decommissioned. Adorned with ceramic installations by the Grue Lyceum, "Lo stecato" hosts every year on August 15 the traditional "lancio dei piatti" (throwing of the plates), a competition during which the people of Castelli and tourists challenge each other to throw earthenware plates, trying to get them as far as possible across the river.
Along the road leading to the historic center stands the ancient Palazzo Antoniano, of which the monumental portal is still evident, recognizable by the inscription "Ostium non Hostium 1602" (gateway not of enemies). Beyond the historical relevance of the building, the palace recalls the figure of Silvio Antoniano, cardinal and pupil of San Carlo Borromeo. Originally from Castelli, Silvio Antoniano lived mainly between Rome and Milan, Silvio Antoniano was an excellent representative of the late Humanism but is especially celebrated for his work of rigorous censorship of the "Gerusalemme Liberata" by Tasso. His name is then linked and honored for centuries for the treatise "De l'educazione cristiana e politica dei figliuoli," a milestone in Catholic pedagogy.
In the lower part of the village, there once were the main workshops. Traditionally, every workshop had a statue of Saint Anthony the Abbot, protector of fire, as well as of animals, which is why the ceramics firing was a particularly delicate and complex process, and it seemed appropriate for the artisans to entrust themselves to the prayer to this Saint before firing. For this reason, and because of the abundance of workshops and, consequently, statues of Saint Anthony, this district is known to the local population by the name of 'Li Sand'Andunj'. Images of less than a century ago still show us this splendid district with woodpiles next to the doors and walls blackened by the smoke from the workshops.
Established as a Royal Art School by royal decree in 1906, the Artistic Lyceum is one of the oldest schools in Abruzzo and one of the oldest art schools in Italy. Outstanding contemporary artists have made the history of this school by participating as students or as teachers. After more than 110 years of history, the Lyceum proves to be a cutting-edge school, able to dialogue with national and international art and to create works and projects of great value. Inside the school premises is the Monumental Nativity, a sculptural group consisting of 54 life-size statues, created between 1965 and 1975. Hosted at San Pietro for Christmas 2020 as a nativity scene for all of Christianity, the Monumental Nativity is characterized by an ultra-contemporary style and stands out not only for the traditional figures of the nativity, but also for the unusual images that become vectors of important historical, ethical, and political messages: the executioner, the astronaut, the orants, the warriors.
Also within the school premises is the regional “International Collection of Contemporary Ceramic Art Vincenzo Di Giosaffatte” museum that gathers over 500 ceramic works from all over the world, made by artists from 5 continents. The richness of the collection is incommensurable and can be considered a true and proper inn of ceramic art of the twentieth century.