MARKET CASTELLO

At the entrance to Taurasi, next to the town gate, whose semicircular arch is topped by a clock, stands the castle of Lombard origins. The building has undergone various transformations over the years. The keep was added by the Normans and the lower part was built using materials salvaged from Roman buildings. Partially destroyed by the troops of Alfonso of Aragon in 1461, the castle was rebuilt at the beginning of the following century, then remodelled in Renaissance style and converted into a palace at the request of Carlo Gesualdo (1566-1613). This character, who was the head of a very powerful fiefdom, is best known for his talents as a musician, a composer of madrigals, and, incidentally, for having been the author of a crime of passion: having caught his first wife, Maria d'Avalos, in the act of adultery, he murdered her as well as her lover. He married Eleonora d'Este, the daughter of the Duke of Ferrara, as his second wife; above the entrance gate you can still see the coat of arms carved on the occasion of the union of the two families. The castle was home to several personalities (the poet Torquato Tasso, St. Charles Borromeo) and belonged to various families of the high nobility (Caracciolo, Carafa). Roman sarcophagus preserved in the cortile, and staircase leading to the first floor where there is a living room with a large 17th century fireplace. Since 2004, the castle has been the headquarters of theEnoteca Regionale dei Vini d'Irpinia , which organizes various events to promote the wines of the territory.