All Castles in Umbria

Fortezza Albornoz, also known as Rocca di Albornoz, is a fortress in Orvieto, located in Piazza Cahen, on the eastern edge of the historical center of the town.   SHORT HISTORY Fortezza Albornoz was built starting with 1364 in a strategic point of Orvieto, on the eastern edge of a cliff, as part of the work of reorganization of papal power in the central Italy by Cardinal Egidio Albornoz. The project was entrusted to the military architect Ugolino di Montemarte, whose noble family had possessions in the area. In 1389, the fortress was partially destroyed, during a time when the city was passing through some internal struggles. In 1413, Francesco I Orsini strengthened the defensive system of the fortress, but, in the following year, the new fortification failed to repel the assaults of Ladislaus the Magnanimous, King of Naples. In poor conditions, Fortezza Albornoz was then rebuilt by Antonio da Carpi on the old perimeter, with the addition of a circular tower to protect the gate, and was completed in 1450 under the supervision of Bernardo Rossellino. In 1527, when Pope Clement VII took refuge in Orvieto after the Sack of Rome, he commissioned Antonio da Sangallo the Younger to Read more [...]

Rocca Albornoziana is an imposing fortress standing on Colle Sant’Elia, the highest point in Spoleto, strategically towering over the valley.   SHORT HISTORY The construction of Rocca Albornoziana started in 1359, of the order of Pope Innocent VI. The project was entrusted to the Spanish Cardinal Egidio Albornoz, who commissioned the works to Matteo di Giovannello da Gubbio, also known as Il Gattapone. The fortress was finished around 1370. Rocca Albornoziana became the main point of the defensive system of this valley, and later the residence of dukes, city governors and papal legates. In 1816, Rocca Albornoziana was turned into a prison, and was used like this until 1982.   ARCHITECTURE Rocca Albornoziana has a rectangular shape with six imposing towers. Inside, it has two courtyards, the Cortile delle Armi (Courtyard of Arms), the headquarters of the troops, and the Cortile d’Onore (Courtyard of Honour), reserved to the administrators and the governors. The two courtyards are connected by a vault, decorated at the end of the 16th century with frescoes representing the six cities of the States of the Church. Salone d’Onore (Hall of Honour), the widest space of the fortress, was destined for ceremonies. Camera Pinta (Painted Room) hosts Read more [...]

Rocca Maggiore is a majestic, imposing fortress dating back to the 14th century, which dominates the town of Assisi from above, offering magnificent views and charming panoramas of the surrounding valley below, from Perugia, in the north, to Spoleto, in the south.   SHORT HISTORY The original fortress was built, perhaps, before the year 1000, during the time of the barbaric invasions, but the first documented information about Rocca Maggiore dates back to 1174, when Assisi was conquered by the imperial troops led by Christian of Mainz, chancellor of Germany during the reign of emperor Frederick I Barbarossa. In 1198, Rocca Maggiore was destroyed by a riot, to prevent it from falling into the hands of the papal governor of Pope Innocent III. The fortress was rebuilt in 1356 at the behest of Cardinal Egidio Albornoz, as a lookout, to consolidate the fortifications of the Papal State. In 1360, the same Cardinal Albornoz commissioned the construction of Rocca Minore, in order to consolidate the part of the fortification towards the mountain, and connected the two fortresses through a massive wall structure. In the next centuries, the fortress was enlarged and modified by various occupants – by Biordo Michelotti, lord of Read more [...]