Il Cassero
From fortification to city theatre
The Cassero is a monument that marks the birth of Castel San Pietro in 1199.
The new bulwark was first built with wood and then continually modified again according to the needs of the military powers that, decade after decade, century after century, conquered and used it as their main fortification against their enemies.
The Cassero (from the Arabic “qasr”, castle, Roman castrum) is a massive building, adorned with Ghibelline merlons. It has been restructured several times. In 1830, a roof was added, and it was transformed into a theater. In the years following the First World War, it was brought back to its basic structures.
In the upper section of the Cassero, there is the tower that, according to local sources, dates back to the 1300s. Around 400 years later, in 1784, a clock and bells were installed.
From 1635 to 1920 (when it was donated to the Municipality) the building belonged to the Malvasia family.
Today
Today, the Cassero has been completely renovated and turned into a municipal theater.
Its terrace is open to the city and institutions for cultural, food and wine events.
Old walls used to surround the town, built around the XV century. The used to be topped with a walkway connectig the inside of main castle with the walls. Today, only one of the towers is still visible (east of the Cassero) and a short stretch of walls along Castelfidarso road and the river side road.
