Rocca di Calascio is a mountaintop fortress in the Abruzzo region of Italy (where the Montepulciano comes from). It is one of the highest mountaintop fortresses in Europe.
Construction started in the 10th century with a single watchtower. A walled courtyard with four cylindrical towers at the corners and a taller inner tower were added in the 13th century. The fortress was never tested in battle. However, it was badly damaged in November 1461 (or perhaps in 1703, or perhaps both) by an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 7 to 8. The town of Calascio, below the castle, was rebuilt; the castle was not.
Most excitingly of all, after several hundred years of silently watching the valley below, the castle had its shot at glamour as the setting for various scenes in Ladyhawke and The Name of the Rose.
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