La Rocca is located in the upper part of the historic center of Spoleto, on the summit of Sant’Elia hill. Built at the behest of the Spanish Cardinal Egidio Albornoz starting in 1360, it was the seat of papal legates and popes. Today, with the gradual restoration of the rooms and the murals that still adorn its walls, the complex has finally regained its strategic position for controlling the Flaminia road, an ideal support and starting point for military actions aimed at reclaiming the territories of Umbria, Marche, and Romagna. The fortress was the fulcrum of the defensive system of the Papal States, but it was also conceived as a residential seat for the Rectors of the Duchy, initially, the city governors and papal legates later, and therefore frescoed like the refined noble residences of the time. The Rocca, begun in 1359, was built by order of the Spanish Cardinal Egidio Albornoz with the aim of bringing the city back under papal rule. The Eugubine Matteo di Giovannello, called il Gattapone, was put in charge of the work. Six towers, four corner and two median, run along the perimeter. Internally, the building body is located between two courtyards: the Arms courtyard, to the south, and the Honor courtyard, to the north. With the gradual restoration of the rooms and murals, the complex has finally regained its original charm. The Honor Hall and the Painted Room, decorated with a rare cycle of chivalric-themed frescoes from the 15th century, testify to its former beauty. Always affirming them as instruments of defense for city peace, the rocche were symbols of dominion, meant to guarantee the obedience and submission of the people to the Church, becoming the most evident characteristic of its conquest action. This was the case for the rocche of Spoleto, Narni, Orvieto, Assisi, Todi, and Spello.
Information on Rocca Albornoziana of Spoleto
Piazza Campello, 1
06049 Spoleto (Perugia)
0743223055 – 0743 – 223055
Source: MIBACT
