[1] The location of Castel Menardo, between the Val Pescara and the Maiella mountains, suggests that the fortress had a defensive role against Saracen incursions aimed at the nearby Abbey of San Liberatore.

In this context, the castle should be considered together with the tower of Polegra, situated diametrically opposite the church.

However, tradition, as with the abbey, attributes its construction to Charlemagne, who supposedly built it to defend the southern edge of his empire.

The layout is triangular, with a quadrangular structure at one end and the other two vertices protected by circular towers.

The castle, visible from the road leading to the Hermitage of Sant'Onofrio, is not easily accessible except on foot via a path approximately one kilometer long.