he Caracciolo are one of the most prominent noble families of the Kingdom of Naples, with roots reaching back to the medieval aristocracy of the city itself. They rose to prominence as feudal lords, administrators, and military leaders, and by the Renaissance were closely tied to the royal court in Naples.
While their primary base was Naples, archival evidence demonstrates that branches of the Caracciolo family also extended into Abruzzo. In particular, the notarial records of Claudio Paglione in Gessopalena (1580–1609) and other registers of Villa Santa Maria preserve transactions that involve the Caracciolo name, showing their legal, economic, and land-based presence in this mountainous region..
The Archivio di Stato di Napoli contains a collection of manuscripts often referred to as the "Caracciolo Archives." These materials reveal not only genealogical and testamentary records but also the family’s wide-reaching network of obligations, debts, inheritances, and ecclesiastical ties. I have personally reviewed selections of these archives, which confirm both the noble stature of the Caracciolo and their integration into Abruzzese society through property and marriage
The image below is drawn from the Caracciolo Archives in Naples. It concerns Filippo Caracciolo and his wife Genobia, around the year 1683–1685. The text records family relationships and property entitlements, and even includes a small genealogical sketch. Documents like this are typical of the Caracciolo fonds: they blend private family matters with broader questions of land tenure and obligations under papal and royal jurisdiction.
In addition to the Neapolitan records, the notarial registers compiled by Claudio Paglione in Gessopalena (Volumes I & II, 1580–1609) preserve a remarkable number of legal acts tied to the Caracciolo family in Villa Santa Maria. These are not high-level court documents, but rather the day-to-day acts of sale, debt, and testament, which reveal how the Caracciolo name intersected with other families in the Abruzzo interior.
Below are some highlights I have extracted directly from the Paglione registers.