The Spanish government on Friday responded to an appeal to 'adopt' an artistic monument damaged by April 6 quake, saying it would fund the repair of L'Aquila's 16th-century Spanish castle.
Foreign ministry sources said a group of Spanish experts will assess the damage at the castle, built by the army of Charles V (1500-1558) and considered one of the most beautiful built in Renaissance Italy.
The castle was designed by Spanish military architect Pirro Aloisio Escriva'.
On Thursday, Premier Silvio Berlusconi said he would ask allies to fund repairs for 38 major monuments.
Last week, Berlusconi spoke to a number of foreign leaders who expressed interest in his idea of each country helping fund the repair of a major art site.
After contacts in the United States and Europe, Berlusconi received ''interested'' replies last week from, among others, Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Pakistan Premier Yousaf Raza Gillani, Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen, Slovenian Premier Borut Pahor and French Premier François Fillon.
The premier said the government would step in to fund repairs for monuments that ''foreign friends'' could not adopt.
Practically all of L'Aquila's artistic heritage suffered serious damage in Monday's earthquake.
