Description

Situated in the district of Porta Manaresca, the building dates back to the 16th century, but was seriously compromised in the earthquake of 1706. As we can see by the rooms on the ground floor of Via Roma, in the rooms beyond the Durazzesco arch adjacent to the ancient church of St. Thomas and in the underground rooms located along Vico dell’Arco, the building would have been quite sizeable.


In the late 19th century, a period in which the building’s height was increased by the mezzanine attic which was intended for housing, it still retained the ancient staircase that led into a porch with a wooden colonnade. The building suffered further damage in the earthquake of 1933, when the western front of the building and part of the Vico dell’Arco fell, and were then rebuilt after the war.


From the original structure, only the Durazzesco doorway remains  - reduced to a simple underpass - with the emblem of the family. Traces of another Colombini emblem are located on the stone pillar placed at the beginning of the staircase of the adjacent building at number 26, which was the newest wing of the historic home, irreparably damaged by the earthquake. It is specifically an emblem of a marriage covenant: a convoluted oval with the insignia of De Capite family, another illustrious Sulmonese family.

In the recent restoration work along the eastern side of the building, behind the 19th century plaster work, the remains of another more simple Durazzesco arch was discovered.