Rocca Roveresca

Why it matters

The Rocca Roveresca in Senigallia preserves layers of the city's political and military history. Built over earlier defences, it became the power seat of the Della Rovere lords during the Renaissance. Later uses included a prison, an orphanage and a depot, reflecting changes in the city's civic life.

What to notice

The fortress incorporates earlier structures within its Renaissance walls. The base of the medieval keep, built of irregular stones capped with limestone blocks, dates to the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Underground spaces include barrel-vaulted storerooms built with sandstone blocks reused from an earlier structure. A small chapel preserves the memory of Giovanna da Montefeltro, wife of Giovanni Della Rovere, who fled the fortress during the arrival of Cesare Borgia's troops.

Context and history

Around 1350 Cardinal Egidio Albornoz commissioned an early stronghold incorporating an ancient stone tower. In the mid-fifteenth century, builders working for Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta incorporated the earlier structure. In the final quarter of the fifteenth century, Giovanni Della Rovere commissioned Luciano Laurana for the residential wing and Baccio Pontelli for the defensive structure. After the end of the duchy, the fortress served civic purposes including a prison, orphanage and depot before becoming a cultural venue.