Castello di Gradara (Rocca Malatestiana)

Why it matters

Gradara Castle stands at the centre of a fortified village on a 142-metre hill between Marche and Romagna. Its keep, 30-metre mastio and double curtain wall reflect the town's strategic position and the power of the Malatesta, Sforza and Della Rovere families. Gradara is also associated with the story of Paolo and Francesca in Dante's Inferno.

What to notice

The mastio originated as a tower associated with the De Grifo family. The castle's concentric curtain walls and polygonal towers reflect successive medieval and Renaissance building campaigns. The structure combines defensive forms with later residential interiors and surviving decorative elements.

Context and history

The De Grifo brothers are traditionally associated with a tower built around 1150. In the first half of the thirteenth century, Malatesta da Verucchio incorporated it into the castle. Malatesta rule ended in 1463, after which the fortress passed to the Sforza and later to the Borgia and Della Rovere families. Local tradition associates the killing of Paolo and Francesca with Gradara in 1289; Dante's account in Canto V of the Inferno helped make their story part of the castle's literary history. In 1920 Umberto Zanvettori purchased the castle and undertook a major restoration.