IL CASTELLO CLONATO [IT]
Exploration #195 Il castello clonato (testo italiano a fondo pagina). A few hundred metres from the medieval castle, immersed in the silence of the Vercelli countryside, is the so-called “il castello clonato” (the cloned castle) of Rovasenda.
The castle was built between 1901 and 1904 by Count Luigi di Rovasenda, prefect of the Kingdom of Italy and descendant of the dynasty of the same name that had owned the original manor house for centuries. Not having been able to inherit the latter, the count decided to build one for himself, calling in the brilliant architect Carlo Nigra from Turin, a famous architect for having designed the Medieval Village for the 1884 Universal Exhibition in Turin. The castle was built in a short time, and although it is considered a ‘clone’ of the old one, in reality it is only similar, distinguished by its smaller size and architectural details. Unfortunately, after the deaths of the count and his wife in 1940 and 1944, the castle began to fall into a state of gradual neglect, as the heirs did not permanently reside there and became disinterested in it.
In 1984, it was sold to a private company that has since put it up for sale, but to no avail. In the meantime, weathering has led to the progressive ruin of the roof, while vandals and thieves have stripped it of all its furnishings, condemning it to a state of decay. Recently, the castle was finally sold to a company that is restoring it as a reception venue (source: fondoambiente.it).
