Ruined medieval castle with two square towers added in the 1500s, the Castello dei Doria, at Dolceacqua, Liguria, Italy. Dolceacqua, first mentioned in 1177, was home to the Dorias, dynastic rulers of Genoa. Traces of Renaissance frescoes may still be seen on the castle’s 1500s square towers, despite damage in 1744 during the War of the Austrian Succession. Leading Impressionist Claude Monet painted the castle and a nearby 1400s bridge over the River Nervia.
Dolceacqua, Imperia, Liguria, Italy: Renaissance frescoes on a 16th century square tower of the ruined Doria Castle or Castello dei Doria di Dolceacqua still bear scars caused by Franco-Spanish heavy artillery in 1744 in hard fought battles during the War of the Austrian Succession. Its subsequent capture, on 27 July 1745, led to it being abandoned for more than 200 years before local and regional authorities began a major restoration programme aimed at opening it to visitors and staging open-air events. The castle and village of Dolceacqua, then called Dulzana, was first mentioned in 1177, when it was owned by the Counts of Ventimiglia. Oberto Doria, founder of the dynasty that was to dominate Genoa and its Republic, purchased it in 1270. It was the scene of bitter fighting in the 14th century, undergoing heavy sieges in 1319 and 1329 by Robert of Anjou, King of Naples, who forced the Dorias to submit and become his vassals. The Doria feudal rights over Dolceacqua were ceded to the Duke of Savoy in 1526, which ensured the family’s protection for the next hundred years. The alliance began to crack in the 17th century after the Dorias sided with the Genoese Republic against Savoy. Claude Monet, a founder of the Impressionist art movement, painted both the castle and the nearby 15th century Ponte Vecchio or Old Bridge over the River Nervia in February 1844. The castle became the property of the Municipality of Dolceacqua in 1942.
Size: 4184px × 2784px
Location: Dolceacqua, Imperia, Liguria, Italy.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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