Rocca Albornoziana - Museo Nazionale del Ducato di Spoleto

Why it matters

The Rocca Albornoziana dominates Colle Sant'Elia above Spoleto. Begun in 1359 under Pope Innocent VI at the direction of Cardinal Egidio Albornoz, the fortress was built by Matteo di Giovannello da Gubbio, known as Gattapone, and was substantially complete by 1370. It represented papal authority in the Duchy of Spoleto.

What to notice

Six quadrangular towers surround a rectangular plan. Within the walls, the Cortile delle Armi and the Cortile d'Onore reflect the fortress's military and residential functions. The latter's two-level loggia was completed around the mid-fifteenth century under Pope Nicholas V. The Camera Pinta preserves early-fifteenth-century frescoes of courtly life, including scenes of fishing, hunting, fruit picking, games and tournaments. The museum's collections include archaeological material, medieval sculpture and painting.

Context and history

The hill was occupied before the fortress, with protohistoric settlement preceding the Roman city walls. Lucrezia Borgia governed briefly from the Rocca in 1499. It later housed prisons and barracks; in 1817 it became a penal institution. Piedmontese troops took the fortress in 1860, but its prison function continued until 1982, when the Italian state took responsibility for the complex and began restoration.