Ruderi della Rocca e Parco della Rocca

Why it matters

The remains of Todi's Rocca occupy the hilltop above the town. Pope Gregory XI ordered the fortress built in 1373 after Todi's annexation to the Papal States. Citizens destroyed part of it in 1382; the remaining fortress was dismantled in the early sixteenth century under Giuliano della Rovere, later Pope Julius II. The site later became a public park.

What to notice

The circular keep, or mastio, is the most substantial surviving element. Low remains and terraced ground mark the former extent of the fortifications. The park's position above the town and the Tiber valley places the fortress within the wider defensive landscape of Umbria.

Context and history

The fortress represented papal control over a recently annexed town. Its demolition by local citizens in 1382 was followed by its eventual dismantling in the early sixteenth century. In the modern period the hilltop was developed as a public park. A municipal restoration campaign in 2018–2019 renewed paving, drainage and steps and stabilised slopes.