Castello di Corigliano Calabro

Aragonese-ducal castle of Corigliano, a national monument since 1927, with a frescoed chapel, the Salone degli Specchi and a decorated keep.

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About the museum

According to Goffredo Malaterra, the castle was built in 1073 by Robert Guiscard. From 1192 to 1616 it belonged to the Sanseverino family, who added residential rooms; under Alfonso of Aragon it was strengthened in the late 15th century, taking on an “Aragonese” character. In 1616 it passed to the Saluzzo family, who from 1649 held the ducal title and made it their main residence: to them are due the octagonal turret above the keep, the Salone degli Specchi and the chapel of Sant’Agostino.

In 1822 it was bought by Giuseppe Compagna, and his son Luigi carried out the last major transformations, with decorations by Girolamo Varni, Domenico Morelli and Ignazio Perricci. After the Second World War the family left the castle, which fell into decline; in 1971 it was purchased by the Mensa arcivescovile di Rossano (the archbishopric estate of Rossano) and in 1979 by the Comune. The restoration, carried out from 1988 to 2002, concluded with its return to the community in December 2002.

Among the rooms are the small octagonal chapel of Sant’Agostino with frescoes by Varni, the four-storey keep with scenes from Tasso’s “Gerusalemme liberata” (Jerusalem Delivered) and the Cardinal Virtues, the monk’s prison, the 19th-century kitchens, the bedrooms, the dining room and the moat. The upper floor hosts art exhibitions, photographic displays and conferences.