Rancia Castle is a medieval castle, nearly 7 km from Tolentino in the province of Macerata, region of

Marche Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the ...

, Italy. It remains relatively well preserved in the valley of the

Chienti The Chienti is a river in the Marche region of Italy. Its source is near Serravalle di Chienti in the Appennino Umbro-Marchigiano mountains in the province of Macerata. The river flows northeast through the mountains past Muccia and enters and ex ...

Origin of the name

The Rancia Castle owes its name to the ancient granary, named “grancia” after the Latin “granica”, used by the Cistercian monks of the nearby Fiastra Abbey at the end of the 12th century.

History

Paolo Monti - Servizio fotografico (Tolentino, 1969) - BEIC 6339129

A fortification at the site was present before the 13th century and used by the monks of the nearby Fiastra abbey. In 1350, Rudolfo II, belonging to the family of Varano, the lords of Camerino, expelled the monks and created a fortification to defend the

valley and control the

Roman road Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...

that ran parallel to it. The architect Andrea Beltrami completed the castle in 1357. By 1581, the Jesuits had taken possession of the Fiastra Abbey, and the Castle had lost its military importance, ministering to a large farm and as a hostel for pilgrims on their way to Rome. In 1782 Pope Pius VI came to Tolentino and granted all the possessions of Fiastra Abbey, including the Castle, to the noble family Bandini. The last descendant, Maria Sofia Gravina di Ramacca, in 1974 gave the Castle to the Municipality of Tolentino, the present owner. The castle was hotly contested during the

Battle of Tolentino The Battle of Tolentino was fought from 2–3 May 1815 near Tolentino, Kingdom of Naples in what is now Marche, Italy: it was the decisive battle in the Neapolitan War, fought by the Napoleonic King of Naples Joachim Murat to keep the throne a ...

in 2 and 3 May 1815. Occurring at the end of the Napoleonic conflicts, the troops of

Murat Murat may refer to: Places Australia * Murat Bay, a bay in South Australia * Murat Marine Park, a marine protected area France * Murat, Allier, a commune in the department of Allier * Murat, Cantal, a commune in the department of Cantal Elsewhe ...

, King of Naples battled the Austrian troops aiming to restore the Bourbon rulers of Naples. The Austrians prevailed and Murat's forces were made to retreat. The Battle of Tolentino is now celebrated in commemoration named "Tolentino 1815", which takes place every year in the countryside surrounding the Rancia castle.

Main architectural structure

View of Rancia castle from the main tower

The building is square in shape, is composed of a crenellated walls strengthened by three towers. In defense of the main stands one of the towers that were accessed by a

drawbridge A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of moveable ...

, was later replaced by a brick bridge. The tower is about 30 meters tall and consists of four floors, of which the first three are cross vaulted. The basement of the tower, illuminated by two high slits at the base, was once used as a prison as evidenced by the large iron rings fixtures on the walls. On two adjacent sides of the court, provided at the center of a deep tank, rise two porches with arches supported by cylindrical pillars of brick. On the first floor another portico flanked by a large living room, probably the part of the castle that was used as a residence. The courtyard leads to a

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

chapel built by the Jesuits. Unconfirmed reports support the existence, in the center of the courtyard, another tank where it seems many of the dead were buried during the Battle of Rancia in 1815. According to legend only, there is a hidden tunnel that links castle to the Basilica of San Nicola in the town of Tolentino.

External links and references

Site tourism of Tolentino

Site of castle in Italy

{{Coord, 43.2309, N, 13.3558, E, source:wikidata-and-enwiki-cat-tree_region:IT, display=title Castles in Marche Tourist attractions in le Marche Buildings and structures in Tolentino