Guevara Castle dominates Savignano Irpino from the top of the “Tombola” hill, a strategic point that for centuries controlled one of the obligatory passages between Campania and Puglia. Probably built in the first half of the 12th century, the manor was built in the safest place of the ancient settlement, proudly overlooking the Cervaro Valley. Its isolated and dominant position clearly reflects its original defensive function, typical of medieval military architecture.
Over the centuries, the castle has undergone multiple transformations. A first significant intervention took place in 1427, at the instigation of Queen Giovanna II of Anjou, who enlarged the structure and had new windows opened to the outside, a sign of an initial transition from a defensive structure to a residential dwelling. But it was with the arrival of the Guevara family, a noble Spanish lineage that came to Italy in the retinue of Alfonso of Aragon and became owners of the barony of Savignano in 1445, that the castle experienced its most important season. The Guevara family transformed the fortress into a lordly residence, with six soprano rooms and as many sottani, giving it a central role in the political and social life of the village.
Further renovations were undertaken in 1527, in line with what was happening in many castles of the time, adapted to the new aristocratic lifestyles. However, the structure was not spared by natural events: in 1737 it was even reached by the ashes of Vesuvius, and in the following centuries it was repeatedly damaged by earthquakes, until the devastating one in 1980. At the end of the nineteenth century, the castle was still inhabited, but between the end of the nineteenth century and the twentieth it underwent a progressive degradation: stone materials were removed, parts deemed unsafe were demolished, and any form of maintenance was abandoned.
What we can admire today is the result of numerous and careful restorations that have restored dignity and beauty to this important symbol of the village. Although severely mutilated from its original layout, the Guevara Castle continues to convey its grandeur and tell the centuries-old story of Savignano Irpino. Soon, its halls will host the “Multimedia Museum of Memory and Knowledge,” an ambitious project that aims to bring local history to life through innovative tools, giving the castle back a central role in the cultural and tourist life of the village.