Mattarella Castle🏰🌳

Mattarella Castle 🏰Side of the Sacred Mount Calvario⛰️Towards the Domodossola Valley🏘️

The hill of Mattarella, south of Domodossola, rises on the plain of the Ossola Valley at an altitude of 413 metres. From the hill you can enjoy a splendid view of Domodossola and the mountains that frame the Ossola Valley around the city. Inhabited in ancient times, the hill probably takes its name from a pagan site for the Matrons, on which and around which a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary was later built.
The hill of Mattarella was occupied by the military in the 7th century and housed a sprawling castle that was attacked and destroyed several times over the centuries. In 1014, Emperor Henry II transferred the castle to the church in Novara and the Bishop of Novara moved his palace and curia here. In 1312 the Visconti came to power in the Ossola Valley: the Mattarella Castle also became the property of the Duchy of Milan and retained its functions, especially the military ones, until 1415, when the Swiss, coming from the Alpine passes to conquer the Ossola Valley, practically demolished it completely, destroying the Bishop's Palace, the enclosure and the main towers.
After these dramatic events, only a few traces of the old fortress remain today: the tower on the top of the mountain rises majestically above them. The long curtain wall is also well preserved. Unfortunately, only a few foundations remain of the rest of the castle, and especially of the sturdy towers at the entrance.
Source: visitossola.it/de/poi/huegel-und-burg-mattarella-domodossola