Surprisingly, just beyond the “great beauty” of Rome, there is a heritage to be discovered. Dwellings that nobles and prelates used for defence or to restore spirit and body in the tranquillity of the Roman countryside, by the sea, or the lake, or in the hills.
Among the many examples are the Castle of Julius II in Ostia, the “sea of Rome”: a fortification with a triangular plan, once along the Tiber river, austere on the outside and ornate in the interior residential areas; or the nearby Villa Pontificia alla Magliana, which Pope Julius II himself ordered to be transformed into a fortress by Giuliano Sangallo, and frescoed inside by Raphael, his artist of choice.
Imagining a circular route around Rome, here is the fortified medieval village of Torre in Pietra, with its moat, towers and walls. It was once a residence boasting great luxury and magnificence, for parties and social gatherings, refurbished after a period of abandonment by Ferdinando Fuga, the architect of the façade of Santa Maria Maggiore and the Palazzo della Consulta in Piazza del Quirinale in Rome; then the Odescalchi Castle in Ladispoli, a sixteenth-century jewel for Leo X, who wanted a residence for his hunting trips in the woods of Palo. Today it is still a nature reserve.
And then we come to Santa Severa, right on the beach, one of the most beautiful castle-hostels in Europe, property of the Lazio Region: from the windows of this ship-like fortress, priceless sunrises and sunsets can be viewed in the silence of the waves. A short distance away, on the shores of Lake Bracciano stands the Odescalchi Castle, which hosted a luxurious Renaissance court frequented by the artists and the elite of the time, and is now a favourite wedding location of international celebrities due to its unaltered charm.
Among the many castles in the environs of Rome to choose from, in order to close the circle and return to the Tiber of our first stop, the Castle of Julius II, there is the Del Drago Castle in Filacciano. The castle door closes or opens onto the small village, a delight of silence, ancient life, air scented with the good smells of the past.