The origins of the Norante Palace, belonging to the homonymous family, are not really known: it was probably built around the XIX century and its architectural style cannot be defined. Today the palace hosts the public library and the literary café.
After the Italian unification, the noble families aimed at centralizing the real estate. At that time, the urban development outside the walls in Campomarino took off: among these families, the Norantes emerged as they built their residence outside the medieval town. The real estate centralization developed around the land ownership, something still evident in the current urban outskirts. The Norantes enlarged and embellished the palace, buying the Ancient medieval Tower in exchange of a two-rooms house. They motivated the tower’s demolition to better align the major streets along Corso Skanderbeg.
The Norante Palace is a beautiful architectural gem in the hearth of Campomarino, along with the Barn. Its restoration and reuse as a literary café puts it in the network of the “Linguistic and Literary Cafés”. The latter was created to promote the cultural growth of the Molise villages, which have hosted for centuries Arbëreshë and Croatian communities. The network pays attention to the local traditions and language minorities, helping them in keeping relations with their countries of origin.