History of the Castle

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The Baron Lazzaro began the construction of the Pasquini Castle in 1889 on the land he acquired from Diego Martelli. This latter was forced to sell his properties in Castiglioncello and Castelnuovo because of several economic hardships. The Luparini family oversaw the construction project. The castle was built in neo-gothic style following the example of Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. This new project replaced the old farmhouse belonging to Diego Martelli which had inspired the paintings of the “Macchiaioli” artists from the so-called “Scuola di Castiglioncello” (see, for instance, the paintings of Giuseppe Abbati “Castiglioncello” and Odoardo Borrani “Orto a Castiglioncello”). The Martelli's farmhouse, all the rural appurtenances and the enclosures were demolished while the adjacent land was transformed in a park following the romantic style of the age to adorn and to protect the privacy of the new residence. At the entrance of the drive, along the walls of the castle, was built the house of the keeper with its curvilinear structure that reminds, in the merlons that are on the top, the gothic style of the castle. In the park, near the castle there is a small circular chapel in “coppedé “ style.

The Patrone castle was built on the external walls of the farmhouse including its old structure, so that, today it is difficult to single out the differences between the original foundations and the new ones. Some years later, even the stables were built inside the castle park, as a substitution to those in the Piazza della Vittoria successively sold to private citizens. The Baron Patrone offered his own lands to build the Railway Station at the strict condition that the new building followed the style of the castle without dominating its privileged image. The people of Castiglioncello objected to the Baron's constructing project of a racecourse and other buildings, so that in the end he was forced to give away all his properties in Castiglioncello and Castelnuovo; in 1938 he even sold the Castle and the Park. After him, other owners succeeded for a short period, in the second half of the 40s the Castle became property of the Pasquini family whose name is maintained nowadays. This family carried important renewals, especially in the park, where its wild and romantic aspect was changed by the realization of tennis-courts, Bowling Green and a dance floor.

At the beginning of the 80s the Castle in state of neglect, was acquired by the town council and turned into a cultural centre for theatrical and dancing performances, exhibitions and conferences. From 1980 the main restoration works have been: the rebuilding of the roof, the renewal of the third floor (the former servants' rooms), a new equipped conference hall in the north wing at the second floor and the adjustment of the structure and facilities in compliance with actual regulations. In the park besides the Castle has been built a Tent-Theatre while the old chapel is now a Coffee bar.