. The Rocca Ubaldinesca or Castle of the Ubaldini is a relatively small Renaissance-style castle located in the town of

Sassocorvaro Auditore Sassocorvaro Auditore is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Italian region of Marche. It was established on 1 January 2019 with the merger of the municipalities of Sassocorvaro and Auditore. Sassocorvaro borde ...

, province of Pesaro, 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. The castle, located on a hill overlooking the river

Foglia The Foglia is the northernmost river of the Marche region of Italy. In ancient times it was known as ''Pisaurus'', as it debouched into the Adriatic Sea at ''Pisaurum'' (modern Pesaro). It was also known as the ''Isaurus''. The source of the ri ...

, is peculiar for it turtle-like layout.

History

The present structure was commissioned by Federico da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino to his architect Francesco di Giorgio Martini: the castle was built as a compact brick and stone building with tall sloping walls. The fort passed on to Ottaviano degli Ubaldini della Carda, brother of Duke Federico. The heraldic symbols in the castle belong to Ottaviano. The castle then passed to the Doria family of Genoa, who after 1511, became counts of Sassocorvaro. The Counts of Sassocorvo died out in 1626, and the territory entered the Papal States. In 1706 the property was granted to Giovanni Cristoforo Battelli, Archbishop of

Amasia Amasia may refer to the following places: * Amasya, a city in Northern Turkey ** Amasya Province, which contains the city ** Amasea (titular see), the former Metropolitan Archbishopric with see there, now a Latin Catholic titular see * Amasia, Shir ...

, librarian and counselor to

Pope Clement XI Pope Clement XI ( la, Clemens XI; it, Clemente XI; 23 July 1649 – 19 March 1721), born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 November 1700 to his death in March 1721. Clement XI w ...

Albani. Monsignor Battelli restored the castle, rebuilding a chapel and created a library. To the latter have been added papers and volumes from the Archbishopric. In the late 19th-century, the interiors were refurbished, creating a large hall, theater, and the interiors were decorated in 1895 by

Enrico Mancini Enrico is both an Italian masculine given name and a surname, Enrico means homeowner, or king, derived from ''Heinrich'' of Germanic origin. It is also a given name in Ladino. Equivalents in other languages are Henry (English), Henri ( French), Enr ...

in a neoclassical style. During the Second World War, the castle was used by

Pasquale Rotondi Pasquale is a masculine Italian given name and a surname mainly found in southern Italy. It is a cognate of the French name Pascal, the Spanish Pascual, the Portuguese Pascoal and the Catalan Pasqual. Pasquale derives from the Latin ''pasch ...

to hide many works being targeted for looting by the Fascist armies. The castle now serves as the museum of the commune and includes an early 16th-century altarpiece depicting the ''Madonna and Child with Saints Sebastian, Roch and Nicolò'' by

Evangelista da Pian di Meleto Evangelista da Pian di Meleto (circa 1460 – 1549) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance period. He was born in Piandimeleto in Umbria. In 1488, he was working along with Giovanni Santi, the father of Raphael, in Piandimeleto. Along with Ra ...

as well as Baroque paintings. It contains designs and works by Enrico Mancini (1867-1913), who also decorated the 19th-century Teatrino built into what was once the main hall of the fort.Rocca Ubaldinesca
official site.

References

External links

Official website
Ubaldinesca Ubaldinesca Buildings and structures in le Marche Museums in Marche {{italy-museum-stub