c‘it’s a Lazio that you do not expect on the border with Tuscany, made up of rolling hills, immense, sometimes impenetrable woods, olive groves, lush pastures and many cultivated fields. It is an ideal destination for a weekend to discover a Farnese itinerarywhich starts from the ancient fiefdom of the Farnese family on the edge of the Papal State: the Duchy of Castro, ruled by the dukes of the family between the 13th and 17th centuries. Complicated intrigues and wars drew its territoryuntil the annexation to the Papal State.
Ischia of Castro
The romantic village of Ischia di Castro, the oldest land of the Farnese houselocated on a tufa spur surrounded by gorges dug out of two streams tributaries of the Fiora riveris close to the city of Castro, capital of the Duchy where the Farnese lived from 1538 until 1649, when it was razed to the ground at the behest of Pope Innocent X Pamphilj. The Farnese remodeled Castro calling Antonio Sangallo the Younger with his workers to build the Palazzo della Hostaria and the ducal mint, but many works remained unfinished because in 1545 they obtained the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza.
The revenues of Castro, Ischia and the other territories of the Duchy, badly governed from afar by Parma and Piacenza, were used to pay off the debts contracts to maintain court life in the Emilian Duchy and those of the Monti Farnesiani bank opened in Rome. It’s the beginning of the end. After various vicissitudes, Pope Innocent X ordered its demolition in December 1649 from the foundations with the spreading of salt on the ruins and so Castro was called the Carthage of the Lazio Maremma. Digging in this small Renaissance Pompeii they found fireplaces, portals, arches, loggias and coats of arms. Today it is possible to visit the excavations, alone or accompanied, by booking on the portal of the civic museum (museoarcheologicocastro.it).
Ischia di Castro with, at the top of the village, the Rocca Farnese.
Gradoli, welcome to the duke’s palace
For some years in Ischia di Castro the Rocca Farnese, which was the first important residence of the Farnesehas resumed showing off the elegant sobriety of the Sangallo architecture, thanks to the new owner Stefano Aluffi Pentini (Instagram profile: @stefano-aluffi-pentini) who reopened the large corner loggia that had been closed for centuries and that of the stairwell, and wanted the restoration of the facades (visits on request: [email protected]). Walking through the village they meet the Civic Archaeological Museum which preserves Etruscan finds from the necropolis of Castro and the church of San Rocco. Then you reach the historic center which is accessed from the door under one of the towers of the fortress.
The Farnese Palace, in Gradoli. (Getty Images)
The main street connects the fortress with the Cathedral of San Ermete and with the extreme tip of the town, called Ortirosa, with a spectacular view of the gorges overlooking the two rivers that join. Continuing towards Gradoli you enter the Palazzo dei Farnese (comune.gradoli.vt.it), designed by Sangallo as summer residence of the family and of Pope Paul III. After the fall of Castro it became a convent, then purchased by the municipality and, after a ten-year restoration, it was opened to the public in order to admire the frescoed rooms, the ceramics and the reproduction of Renaissance clothes.
The Palazzo del Drago in Bolsena
Other Farnese memoirs can be found in Bolsena in Palazzo Del Drago, the princely residence that once belonged to Cardinal Crispo, linked to the Farnese. Suggestive the frescoes by Prospero Fontana: the story of Alexander the Great, the myth of Cupid and Psyche and the grotesques. And then, the spectacular gardens on four levels that follow the lay of the land and a hanging one overlooking the lake, next to the access stairway (palazzodeldrago.iton reservation).
Detail of an interior of Palazzo del Drago, in Bolsena (Viterbo).
Last stop: on the border with Umbria you meet the Vasanello Castle with the frescoed apartment for the wedding of Giulia Farnese with Orsino Orsini. You can also visit the garden and museum of the Bassanello artistic ceramics factory in the stables of the castle (castellodivasanello.iton reservation).
Where to sleep around Viterbo
Etronia house
Vasanello (Viterbo). Once a 15th-century castle garrison house, it is now a Norwegian-owned holiday home, with its original beams and coffered ceilings. Kitchen available. Double from 70 euros per night. casaetronia.no
Cave loft house
Ischia of Castro. A former cave of 40 square meters perfectly restored with organic materials. Furnished outdoor terrace with view of the gorge. Double 60 euros, minimum stay two nights. airbnb.it/rooms/1800089
The garden of the Palazzo del Drago, in Bolsena.
Where to eat
Salvatore restaurant
Ischia di Castro, piazza Regina Margherita, 13. It is a must to taste traditional dishes, such as pappardelle with wild boar sauce and penne alla lupa. Simple and very welcoming atmosphere. tel.0761.425793
La Ripetta restaurant
Gradoli, via Roma 38. In addition to local land dishes, the menu also includes lake soup, called sbroscia, with lake fish, vegetables and potatoes, or baked whitefish in porchetta. tel. 0761.456100
What to buy
Ancient Morelli Norceria
Bolsena, piazza San Rocco, 11. Porchetta on the counter and artisanal cured meats, even vacuum-packed.
What to do
Masa Kayaking
The land of the Farnese can also be visited by paddling on the Fiora which marks the border between Lazio and Tuscany. The 6 km descent can be covered in about two hours. Along the descent, suitable for everyone, even for children, you meet Maremma cows and donkeys in the wild. The roofs of Farnese can be glimpsed and the waters of the Olpeta which flows into the Fiora cross paths. (mobile 380.2501882), masakayak.com
INFO: visitlazio.com
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