Macchiagodena

The castle of Macchiagodena has been built on a calcareous rock spur, near the principal Church of the village. Today, the polygonal plan building preserves the basis of the outside walls and two sturdy towers made of blocks of squared stone. The entrance is situated on the south-east side and is defended by the eastern tower. The numerous transformations of the building have prevented from proposing precise hypothesis about its origins. Anyways, according to the documentation the castle should exist from the Angevin period, during which a little triangular blockhouse, subsequently enlarged and transformed into a residential palace, was built on the spur of Macchiagodena. In the fence of the ancient castle there is a group of statues and other sculptural stone works, like the big lion situated on the eastern side, dating back to the 13th century. In 1457 the feud passed to Scipione Pandone, Count of Venafro and in 1520 to Enrico Mormile. The feudatories followed one another in the domination were the Costanza’s in 1537, the Cicinelli’s, the Sanfromondo’s, the Del Tufo’s and the Caracciolo’s since 1585. In 1806, the epoch of the feudal rights abolition, the Marchesi Centomani’s owned the castle. In the present time, it appears in fair preservation state, thanks to the maintenance works by the private owners.