Giannone Castle

A sumptuous manor house that became a noble residence, which has survived the centuries while retaining its charm. This is the story of Giannone Castle in Calopezzati, a small, charming village in the Sila Greca, a few kilometres from the Ionian coast.

The original structure is Byzantine in style, with a quadrangular plan. Over the centuries, however, it was remodelled first under the Angevins and then under the Swabians, who fortified it and slowly changed its structure and function. From an impregnable fortress to an elegant residence for the most powerful families in the area, who lived there from 1200 onwards. Noble families such as the Sanseverino, Abenante, Spinelli, Mandatoriccio and finally the Sambiase left the most evident signs of their passage inside the building, such as the refined late Baroque library and the drawbridge. The four corner defensive towers and the splendid late Gothic mullioned windows, one of which is still visible in the inner courtyard, were added in the 15th century.

Today, the ancient manor, one of the best preserved in southern Italy, is known as Giannone Castle, named after the family originally from Acri who have owned it since 1900 and who, in the 1930s, carried out a thorough renovation, saving it from certain decay. The castle dominates the village of Calopezzati and can be accessed from the main square, but not before observing the details on the outside that make it one of the most evocative castles in the South, such as the 15th-century mullioned window in one of the windows of the hall overlooking the inner courtyard.

Inside the castle, you can see precious details that recall the opulent daily life of the noble families who lived in its large rooms: wooden finishes, chests and pictorial decorations with coats of arms on the ceilings, the rich library and two elegant monumental fireplaces, one in green marble and the other in white stone.