A fortified site attested from 864, rebuilt in the nineteenth century by the family whose name it now carries, and run today as a hotel. Both halves of that sentence matter: the building is genuinely old, and it is genuinely a business, and an account that gives only one of the two misleads.
At a glance
- Type
- Castle, rebuilt in neo-sixteenth-century style; now a hotel and conference house
- Where
- Via degli Aquino 12, 65014 Loreto Aprutino, Province of Pescara, Abruzzo
- Coordinates
- 42.4339° N, 13.9858° E
- First recorded
- 864, as a Lombard garrison
- Norman outpost
- 1071
- The Chiola
- Owners and residents from 1843 to 1995
Overview
The castle crowns the hill on which the old town of Loreto Aprutino stands, in the hill country inland from Pescara, with the Gran Sasso on one side, the Maiella on the other and the Adriatic in front. The surrounding country is olive groves and vineyards, and the town is known for both.
History
A fortification on this spot is attested from remote times — 864 is the first date the documents give, when the site held a Lombard garrison. In 1071 it became a Norman outpost. From the thirteenth century it was the residence of feudal families: the D’Aquino, whose tenure the archive entry places between 1330 and 1571, the D’Avalos alongside them from 1449, and the Caracciolo. The Counts of Loreto were housed here.
In 1843 the castle became the property of the Chiola family, who lived in it until 1995. They found it derelict. The rebuilding was carried out by the architect Francesco Valentini, in an original re-reading of sixteenth-century forms — which is why the building reads as a palace rather than a fortress, and why the fabric is so heavily layered and altered.
What you see
A stratified building whose face is nineteenth-century: a large arched portal under a wide balcony, with neoclassical windows above it. Inside the entrance a rising hall leads to the old courtyard with its cistern, set about with sculpture and coats of arms and now roofed over in aluminium and glass so that it can be used. The rooms and halls have been fully restored and keep older architectural work, barrel and groin vaults among it.
The castle operates as a hotel and conference venue, used for meetings, events and banquets. The interior is accessible on those terms: as a guest, or at an event, rather than as a monument with a ticket desk.
Video
Cultural significance
Two legends are attached to the house and are worth knowing as legends. The third floor is said to be haunted by Sharan, a young creole woman who threw herself from the highest tower to escape Count Silveri, and who calls each night for someone to come and speak with her. The other holds that the family of Thomas Aquinas broke their journey at Loreto Aprutino on the way back from the crusades, and that the child Thomas worked the miracle of the roses while staying in the castle — the bread he had hidden in his apron for the poor turning to flowers when his father stopped him. Neither is history; both belong to the place.
Practical information
- Address: Via degli Aquino 12, 65014 Loreto Aprutino (PE).
- The building is a working hotel and conference house. There are no museum hours: access to the interior is as a guest, or by arrangement for an event.
- The exterior and the surrounding historic centre can be seen freely on foot.
Getting there
Loreto Aprutino lies in the hills inland from Pescara and is most easily reached by road from the coast. Pescara has the nearest railway station and airport, a short drive away.
Sources
- Regione Abruzzo, Dipartimento Turismo — record for Castello Chiola
- Comune di Loreto Aprutino and the castle’s own site
- Cultural Heritage Online historical archive — original Italian entry on beniculturalionline.it, verified and rewritten in August 2026.
Find it on the map
See this place and what’s around it →📷 Become a Cultural Heritage Online photographer
Share your photos of places: they stay published under your name as the author. The more they're seen, the more you get noticed — and soon a contest will reward the most appreciated photos.
Log in or sign up free to add a photo