The castle in ruins that dominated the city
The Castle Ruins of Maniago painted during the #ItaliaGrandSketchingTour
The stop in Maniago was sort of improvised. I knew that the town is famous for the knives production since the Middle Ages but I didn’t know much more. I have always been curious about the town. Since it was on my way I decided to stop, also because the weather forecast was announcing rain and I wanted to avoid being on the road while the storm passed.
Fortunately I was very lucky with the choice of the B&B. It was an amazing small apartment near the town center and the owners are passionate cyclists and everything was decorated accordingly. They did cycle a couple of time all through Italy and I felt so lazy at that idea. Maybe that could be the next adventure, once I learn to go by bicycle.
The guy at the apartment that welcomed me also gave me some good ideas on what to visit in the surrounding. In particular he made me discover this castle, or at least its ruins. The great thing was the nice walk to the top of the hill where the remains lay. I walk in the woods that I enjoyed deeply.
The history of the castle and its complex
I discovered once at the top that the castle was actually in ruins. It was built in 1150 and it was a huge complex that occupied all the top of the hill. This area in fact was populated for many centuries, since the Roman Empire, because it was the way to across the mountains that lead to the Northern areas.
The Castle of Maniago was abandoned in 1630 when the village was created downhill, the nowadays Maniago, since the population was growing and the valley was richer of food and water. What remains of the complex is the entrance of the inner walls and the small church of San Giacomo, that you can see in the painting.
Painting title: “The Castle Ruins in Maniago”
This is a painting from the Italia Grand Sketching Tour Collection, a series of original ink and watercolor paintings done on location during my tour to discovery the marvelous Italian heritage. The painting is also featured in the book about my motorbike.
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