Castello ducale Orsini

Construction of the castle began in 1489 under the patronage of Niccolò III Orsini, Count of Pitigliano. The building work, carried out on an existing medieval settlement, was likely completed in 1493, a date still visible on a fireplace inside the castle. The wing facing Porta Capena, the village entrance, desired by Count Orsini, features characteristic Renaissance architecture with a round arch of rusticated ashlar. It is believed that Giuliano da Sangallo, a renowned builder of that era, may have been involved in the renovation due to stylistic similarities. Prominent visitors included Pope Alexander VI in 1493 and the scholar Pietro Bembo in 1504. After the death of Niccolò III Orsini, the Fiano fiefdom and thus the castle changed hands multiple times, including Cardinal Francesco Sforza and later the Ludovisi and Ottoboni families. It was not until the 17th century that the castle received its current name when the fiefdom was elevated to a duchy. In 1897, Marco Boncompagni Ludovisi Ottoboni sold the estate to Carlo Menotti. After World War II, the castle passed to the sisters of Mario Menotti, who partially sold it and partially donated it to the Dominican Sisters of Santa Caterina da Siena, who established a boarding school and later a kindergarten there. In 1993, the municipality of Fiano Romano acquired the castle for public use.

The castle is located in Fiano Romano, a municipality in the metropolitan area of Rome, in the Italian region of Lazio. It stands at an elevation of approximately 107 meters above sea level.

Today, the Castello ducale Orsini is privately owned. Visitors will find a rectangular main building with defensive towers, including a square tower with a scarp and a 30-meter-high circular keep. Inside, a staircase leads from the courtyard to the Piano Nobile. The wing built in the 15th century comprises nine interconnected halls, whose doorposts bear the inscription “Nicolaus Tirtius Ursinus 1493”. The halls include the Montefeltro Hall, the Orsini Study with frescoes of the lords' and Niccolò III Orsini's coats of arms, the Guard Hall, the Choir Hall, the Zodiac Hall, the Hall of Virgins, the Christ Hall, the Ubaldini Hall, and the Pomegranate Hall with floral frescoes and a 1493 fireplace. A restoration in 2023, initiated by the municipality of Fiano Romano, envisions the establishment of an art and culture center.

• Castello degli Orsini (castle), approx. 7.8 km away
• Castello Orsini (castle), approx. 16.1 km away
• Castello Castiglione (castle), approx. 18.3 km away
• Abbazia di San Giovanni in Argentella (sacred building), approx. 18.5 km away