Lazio castles: Our five favorites
Anywhere you go in Rome’s Lazio region, you can count on a few things in every town: a beautiful church, an interesting museum, a unique history. One other thing that’s pretty common.
A castle.
Castles in Lazio date back to the 6th century and were built for defense purposes against marauding armies all the way up to Napoleon’s French forces. Some were built on orders of popes and many were owned by powerful Roman families like the Orsinis and Colonnas.In the 3 ½ years we’ve penned TraveLazio, dedicated to Day trips from Rome, we have visited 77 destinations.
Twenty-two have castles. Some could be settings for any Hollywood movie. Some have the best views in Lazio. Others are in various degrees of disrepair or reconstruction but all have interesting histories that take you back in time. Here are our five favorites, in alphabetical order. It’s best to call ahead to confirm they’re open to the public. Their schedules change frequently.
Rione Castello. It’s in one of the prettiest towns we’ve been to in Lazio, sitting right on a lake with tree-lined boulevards 130 miles north of Rome. Rocca Monaldeschi is a castle that dominates Bolsena’s skyline high atop a hill. Completed in 1156 on order of Pope Adrian IV to protect the town on ancient Via Cassia, the huge stone castle features four towers and the Territorial Museum of Lake Bolsena.
“Rione” means “district” in Italian and surrounding the castle, Rione Castello is a series of narrow, windy alleys lined with potted plants and Bolsena’s red and yellow striped flag. Stop at the little cafe
I Sapori del Castello for a coffee on the cobblestones outside.
Info: Piazza Monaldeschi 1, 39-07-61-798-630. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Tuesday-Sunday. €5, €4 without museum.
Castello Orsini-Odescalchi. This is very close to Rome, only 20 miles to the northwest. The Orsinis were one of the most powerful families during the Italian Renaissance with influence stretching across half of Europe.
They chose Bracciano to build their castle in 1470. It could be a model for every movie that needed a castle. Three of us walked through a classic arched entryway and passed a statue of the Orsini she-bear family symbol (“Orso” means “bear” in Italian.) up to a huge courtyard. In various rooms are a well-preserved ancient kitchen, bedrooms with four-poster beds and fireplaces and a huge armaments room featuring three-meter-long swords and coats of armor they used to defend the castle.
There’s a library with a series of volumes on the Roman Empire. Climbing outside to the top turret next to the clock tower, we had spectacular views of the lake on one side with the Lazio countryside on the other. This trip will make you feel like royalty.
Info: Via Giulio Volpi 12, 39-06-9980-2379, Castello di Bracciano – museo@odescalchi.it,
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday – Sunday,
€10 includes audio guide.
Castello Angioino. It’s at a great beach location 110 miles south of Rome. Once in town, it’s a 500-meter uphill walk from the last bus stop in Gaeta from the train station. It’s hard to miss. It’s massive.
It hangs over a cliff above the water like a brooding dragon. It was built in the 6th century in defense of the Lombards and was considered one of the strongest castles in Southern Italy. It was used as a prison until the 1980s and today the city uses it for conferences and exhibitions. The walk up takes only 10 minutes and you’re rewarded with fantastic views of the sea on both sides of the narrow road.
Info: Via Angiona, 39-379-7813, 10 a-m.-2 p.m., 3-5 p.m., €10.
Call ahead. When we visited at 1 p.m. Wednesday it was closed until 4:30.
Castello San Giorgio. Located in a beautiful borgo 20 miles west of Rome, the castle is smaller than others in Lazio. It’s only three stories but the grounds are beautiful.
A gravel path winds through manicured shrubs, lush lawns, Mediterranean pine trees and fountains. It’s dotted with big potted ferns and palm trees. The castle dates back to 1756 when it was owned by the Anguillaras, a noble Norman family. It is now owned by the Benetton Group which rents it out for private and corporate events and weddings. Tours are by appointment only.
Info: Viale Maria 3, 39-06-667-2336, 39-388-405-0555,
Santa Severa Castle: You’ve heard of sand castles. This is the real thing. A gargantuan structure rising from the sand with four imposing watch towers. It’s said to be from the 14th century but there is written documentation from 1068.
Named for a Christian martyr killed in 298 A.D. along with her two brothers by Roman emperor Diocietian (284-305 A.D.), the castle landed in the hands of Pope Sixtus IV in 1482. He gave it to the Order of the Holy Spirit which held it until 1980.
It’s not far from Santa Marinella. Walk under the huge arched entryway to a massive complex. Underground there are two rooms left of an early Christian church from the 5th century. Next to it is the tiny Church of St. Maria Assunta, built in 1595.
The earliest structure is a massive cylinder tower first built in the 9th century and renovated in the 14th century. Sharing the castle courtyard with the two churches is the House of the Nostromo, once the home of a wealthy aristocrat. Holes in the glass floor illuminate the ruins. If you want to know what it’s like to live in a castle, you can rent rooms in the hostel.
Info: SS1 Via Aurelia, KM 52, 39-06-51-681 785,
Castello di Santa Severa
info@castellodisantasevera.it,
9 a.m.-6 p.m., €8.
Hostel, 39-06-5168-1778,
ostello@castellodisantasevera.it
7 a.m.-11 p.m., rooms start at €133 a night.