Art and CultureCastle, Archaeological Site, Rocchetta Sant'Antonio

Ruderi di Castel Sant’Antimo di Rocchetta Sant’Antonio

Long before the construction of the Castle of Aquino, the "Poetics" Rocchetta already had its own Castle, of which only traces remain.

There is no certainty about the origin and dating of Castel Sant'Antimo, which was destroyed by the earthquake of 1456. The most followed hypothesis, by Giovanni Gentile, is that it was built by the Byzantines in 984 AD, while the scholar Cuozzo attributed its construction to the Normans in 1050. Certainly it is the name of the first feudal lord who occupied the fort: his name was Roberto Torpo and lived in the castle from 1081 to 1120.

The fortress, whose remains are clearly visible in the upper part of the village, along the road that leads from Casa Mattia to the Belvedere, was square and had four towers. The fortress was also protected by a wall on which other towers were inserted and on whose east the only access door opened.