The Castello Bufalini is a castle-residence outside of the town of

San Giustino San Giustino is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Perugia in the Italian region Umbria, located about northwest of Perugia on the Tiber River. History In ancient Roman times it was a town named ''Meliscianum''. Nearby at Colle ...

, Province of Perugia, in the Region of Umbria, Italy. San Giustino villa Bufalini

History

Built in medieval period by the

Ghibelline The Guelphs and Ghibellines (, , ; it, guelfi e ghibellini ) were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy. During the 12th and 13th centuries, rival ...

Dotti family of

Sansepolcro Sansepolcro, formerly Borgo Santo Sepolcro, is a town and ''comune'' founded in the 11th century, located in the Italian Province of Arezzo in the eastern part of the region of Tuscany. Situated on the upper reaches of the Tiber river, the town ...

, it was rebuilt in the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

period (circa 1500) by the Marquis Niccolò di Manno Bufalini of

Città di Castello Città di Castello (); "Castle Town") is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Perugia, in the northern part of Umbria. It is situated on a slope of the Apennines, on the flood plain along the upper part of the river Tiber. The city is north of ...

, who had become lord of San Giustino. The work was directed by

Mariano Savelli Mariano is a masculine name from the Romance languages, corresponding to the feminine Mariana. It is an Italian, Spanish and Portuguese variant of the Roman Marianus which derived from Marius, and Marius derived from the Roman god Mars (see also ...

and the brothers Giovanni and

Camillo Vitelli Camillo Vitelli (c. 1459 - May 1496) was an Italian knight and condottiero of the Vitelli family. He was born in Città di Castello as the son of Niccolò, making him brother to Paolo, Giulio, Giovanni and Vitellozzo. He was also brother-in-la ...

. After 1530, Giulio Bufalini expanded the fortress using as an architect Nanni Unghero. The square layout of the fortress from the outside is replete with medieval military architecture measures for defence including

crenellation A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...

and corner bastion towers. Decoration of the interiors was begun in earnest with Giulio Bufalini who commissioned frescoed interiors from

Cristofano Gherardi Cristofano or Cristoforo Gherardi, also known as il Doceno, (November 25, 1508 – April 1556) was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance or Mannerist period, active mainly in Florence and Tuscany. Biography He was born in Borgo San Sepolc ...

of San Sepolcro (1508-1556), who painted frescoes of antique Roman ''

grotteschi Since at least the 18th century (in French and German as well as English), grotesque has come to be used as a general adjective for the strange, mysterious, magnificent, fantastic, hideous, ugly, incongruous, unpleasant, or disgusting, and thus ...

'' interspersed with '' quadri riportati'' depicting mythologic and historic scenes. The topics include the history of Rome, the ''Myth of

Prometheus In Greek mythology, Prometheus (; , , possibly meaning "forethought")Smith"Prometheus". is a Titan god of fire. Prometheus is best known for defying the gods by stealing fire from them and giving it to humanity in the form of technology, know ...

and

Pandora In Greek mythology, Pandora (Greek: , derived from , ''pān'', i.e. "all" and , ''dōron'', i.e. "gift", thus "the all-endowed", "all-gifted" or "all-giving") was the first human woman created by Hephaestus on the instructions of Zeus. As Hes ...

''. Starting in the final years of the 17th century, under the guidance of the architect and painter

Giovanni Ventura Borghesi Giovanni Ventura Borghesi (October 29, 1640 – April 13, 1708) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Rome. Biography Born in Città di Castello, he was initially a pupil of the painter Giovanni Battista Pacetti (called ...

, the castle was repurposed into a rural villa, with gardens and a

labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the ...

designed in 1692. The interiors were also frescoed by Mattia Battini. In 1789, an earthquake toppled a bell-tower and caused major damage to the structure. Short of funds, the marquis owner sold much of his art collection, including works collected by Cardinal

Giovanni Ottavio Bufalini Giovanni Ottavio Bufalini (17 January 1709, in Città di Castello – 3 August 1782) was an Italian cardinal. Giovanni Ottavio was not ordained a priest until the age of 45 years in 1754. He was rapidly named Archbishop of Chalcedon, apostolic n ...

, and works in the art gallery of Palazzo Bufalini of

. After renovations in the twenty-first century, the castle and gardens are now open to visitors.

References

External links

Beni Culturali
Italian Website.
Comune di San Giustino
entry on Castle. * https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:San_Giustino,_Family_Bufalini_1491_-_1782.pdf Castles in Umbria Romanesque architecture in Umbria Renaissance architecture in Umbria National museums of Italy {{Italy-castle-stub