Palazzo Baronale Zamagna

The Zamagna Baronial Palace is a place of historical interest located in the historic centre of Prata di Principato Ultra, a town in Irpinia.

Built on the remains of an ancient medieval castle in the 17th century, the Baroniale Palace dominates the Sabato Valley and the houses of the old village, at the edges of the riverbanks. It was first owned by the Gargano family, then the Cesarano family, and then the Zamagna family, originally from the Maritime Republic of Ragusa – now the Croatian city of Dubrovnik – from whom the buildings gets its current name.  
For over a century, it stood witness to a fascinating period of splendour for the Prato community, which only ended in 1806 with the abolition of feudalism. It became the property of Niccolò Gradi and, finally, of the Di Marzo family, who donated the Baronial Palace to the Municipality of Prata di Principato Ultra in 1925, as commemorated by the stone plaque on the wall of the external stone entrance doorway.

The Zamagna Baronial Palace still stands out for its impressive size today, as if to testify to the power of those who lived there. Its structure is based on a quadrilateral plan, with a trapezoidal façade characterised by large archivolted windows and simple balconies with moulded sills. From the entrance doorway, you enter a large external courtyard with an irregular shape, surrounded by two buildings of different heights. 

The interior of the building is embellished with halls and rooms with faux vaulted frescoed ceilings and lunettes decorated in the "grotesque" style with mostly naturalistic and mythological subjects: this theme is repeated in the medallion decorations of the baron's private apartment, depicting the allegories of the Continents, the four seasons, and some landscapes.  
Finally, set in the walls of the Baronial Palace is the Chapel of San Michele (Saint Michael), which is rich in history and beauty and has two entrances: the public one under the palace archway and the baron's private one, reachable via a wooden stair underpass, which in turn leads to a small, well-concealed wooden terrace. 

The fulcrum of the historical events of the Irpinian municipality, the Zamagna Baronial Palace still bears witness today to events and legends handed down for several generations.