The Rocca of Umbertide is a 14th-century castle located in the center of the town of

Umbertide Umbertide () is a town and ''comune'' (township) of Italy, in the province of Perugia and in northwestern Umbria, at the confluence of the Reggia river and the Tiber. It is 30 km (19 mi) North of Perugia and 20 km (12 mi) South ...

province of Perugia The Province of Perugia ( it, Provincia di Perugia) is the larger of the two provinces in the Umbria region of Italy, comprising two-thirds of both the area and population of the region. Its capital is the city of Perugia. The province covered al ...

, region of

Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...

, Italy. It is the town's symbol.

History

Construction of the castle began in 1374, with designs by Angeluccio di Ceccolo, and construction directed by Alberto Guidalotti, with completion in 1389. p. 289. It has a tower of nearly 32 meters in height with walls that are 2 meters thick at the base. Two corner towers are linked to a square central bulwark. Today, the castle has a single door towards the town, but at one time, it had an opening across the adjacent river.La Rocca
Comune of Umbertide. Retrieved March 13, 2020. In 1394,

Braccio Fortebraccio {{Infobox noble, type , name = Braccio da Montone , title = Prince of Capua , image = Braccio da Montone.jpg , caption = , alt = , CoA = , more = no , succession = Prince of Capua , reign = {{nowrap, July 1421 – 5 June 1424 , predecessor = R ...

of Montone was held prisoner here. Released after the payment of a ransom, he then conquered the castle and used it as a personal residence until his death in 1424. In the following years the castle was under the rule of the State of the Church; in 1478 the structure, together with the surrounding territories, was devastated by the troops of

Federico da Montefeltro Federico da Montefeltro, also known as Federico III da Montefeltro KG (7 June 1422 – 10 September 1482), was one of the most successful mercenary captains (''condottieri'') of the Italian Renaissance, and lord of Urbino from 1444 (as Duke fro ...

.Rocca di Umbertide
Umbria tourism. Retrieved March 13, 2020. In 1521

Pope Leo X Pope Leo X ( it, Leone X; born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, 11 December 14751 December 1521) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 March 1513 to his death in December 1521. Born into the prominent political an ...

entrusted the custody of the castle to the town's higher authorities for seven years; such honor was then renewed for another ten years by

Pope Clement VII Pope Clement VII ( la, Clemens VII; it, Clemente VII; born Giulio de' Medici; 26 May 1478 – 25 September 1534) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 November 1523 to his death on 25 September 1534. Deemed "the ...

. The fortress saw its importance grow significantly in the 16th century, when it became the seat of a papal military garrison. After the restoration of Papal authority in 1814, the castle was used a prison until 1923. It was then used as a residential building until 1974. It subsequently became property of the

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

, and during the late 1980s underwent restoration to its historical identity as a castle. One exception was the creation of a new entrance. Starting in 1986, the castle became used for contemporary art exhibits. It now also displays a collection of donated works by Giovanni Ciangottini.

References

External links

"La Rocca di Umbertide" Contemporary Art Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Umbertide Castles in Umbria Buildings and structures in the Province of Perugia Art museums and galleries in Umbria