La Rocca di Trevignano Romano

The Rocca of Trevignano Romano stands on the promontory above the lake. Medieval popes raised the castle to control the surrounding territory; it was partly destroyed during the Borgia campaign against the Orsini.

Why it matters

The castle's history reflects the political geography of Lake Bracciano in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Built by order of the popes on lands belonging to the Apostolic Camera, it later passed to the Orsini, whose influence extended around the lake. During the last decade of the fifteenth century, Alexander VI's forces overran Orsini territories and partly destroyed the fortress, ending its military and residential role.

What to notice

The surviving walls follow the shoulders of the promontory, a position chosen to command the lake as well as the settlement. Within the enclosure, wall thicknesses and building remains mark the former rooms and passages. From the upper remains, the historic borgo lies below, framed by the lake.

Context and history

The municipal account dates the castle to the thirteenth century and says it was built on papal orders to control the territories around the lake, then part of the patrimony of the Apostolic Camera. In the Renaissance the town entered the orbit of the Orsini, owners of lake lands from the fifteenth into the sixteenth century. The Borgia offensive under Alexander VI partly destroyed the castle and rendered it unusable. The municipal account states that a central tower remained standing into the 1920s and was lost during the Second World War period.