The Fortress is located in the upper part of Spoleto’s historic center, atop Sant’Elia hill. Built by order of the Spanish Cardinal Egidio Albornoz starting from 1360, it served as the residence of papal legates and popes. Today, with the gradual restoration of the rooms and the mural paintings still adorning its walls, the complex has finally regained its strategic position for controlling the Via Flaminia, a key support and starting point for military actions aimed at reclaiming the territories of Umbria, Marche, and Romagna. The fortress was the cornerstone of the Papal States’ defensive system, but it was also designed as a residence for the Dukes’ Rectors initially, then for the city governors and papal legates, and thus frescoed like the refined noble residences of the period. The Fortress, begun in 1359, was built by the order of the Spanish Cardinal Egidio Albornoz with the purpose of returning the city under papal rule. The Eugubine architect Matteo di Giovannello, known as il Gattapone, was entrusted with the works. Six towers, four corner towers and two middle ones, run along the perimeter. Inside, the building lies between two courtyards: the Courtyard of Arms to the south and the Courtyard of Honor to the north. With the gradual restoration of the rooms and mural paintings, the complex has finally recovered its original charm. The Hall of Honor and the Painted Chamber, decorated with a rare cycle of frescoes on a chivalric theme from the 15th century, testify to its former beauty. Always asserting them as tools of defense for city peace, the fortresses were symbols of dominion, aimed at guaranteeing the obedience and submission of the people to the Church, becoming the most evident feature of its conquest efforts. This was the case for the fortress of Spoleto, as well as those of Narni, Orvieto, Assisi, Todi, and Spello.
Information about Albornoz Fortress of Spoleto
Piazza Campello, 1
06049 Spoleto (Perugia)
0743223055 – 0743 – 223055
Source: MIBACT
