The History

The Portal of Lions and the Palatia

The Portal of Lions

The Portal of Lions of Castel del MonteThe portal of lions and the South facade reveal that the rules by Vitruvius about the doric temples were maintained: the numerical and geometrical systems ruling the architectural elements, as well as the units of measurement chosen, describe a facade in relation with that in Castel del Monte (Apulia, Italy) with the acroterian lions on the portal.

The Portal of Lions The Castle di Prampero witnesses an enlargement of the ghibelline castrum (fortress), which in turn witnesses a strict connection of the Friuli region with the topmost cultural circles of the age of Frederic II(1).

The Palatia

The two palatia were acknowledged in 1274 as duas domos supra montem de Prampergo(2) - Two houses on the Prampergo hill, their construction beginning at an unknown date: one joining the Gemona with the North tower which, by rising up during the centuries, embodied this last; and the other close to the Tarcento tower, which can be detected only by the foundations and the graphical testimonies.

(1) Consortium for the Safeguard of the Historical Castles of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Centro di Studi Storici Giacomo di Prampero, Round Table on The construction of the di Prampero Castle and the Written Sources, G. Ciotta, Chairman, Udine, Italy, February 3, 2006.
(2) The di Prampero Family Archives, I, 1, 2.