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One and a half century under the rule of the family Malatesta da Verucchio
The main tower of the fortress Il Mastino was built in 1150 by order of Pietro and Ridolfo De Grifo, a descendant of the influential The family that conquered many areas of Pesaro. The height of the tower reaches 30 meters. It is based on stone blocks dating from the Roman era, which testifies to the more ancient historical roots of this locality.
That scale and splendor of the fortress that we can observe today comes from the family dynasty of Malatesta. In the first half of the 13th century, Malatesta da Verucchio, with the support of the papacy, took the main tower from the family of De Grifo and ordered the construction of an entire fortress. From 1283 to 1324, work was carried out on the erection of the fortress, impressive city walls with a length of more than 800 meters were built and all those structures due to which the citadel remained inaccessible for centuries
The name of the architect is unknown, but this man was clearly the creator of witty and interesting details for that time: three polygonal covered towers were connected by a path for patrolling along the serf castles, the castle is surrounded by two walls, three bascule bridge console to the drains for rain water, the teeth on the fortress wall. And these are just a few features that made the defense of this fortress invincible. Subsequently, defensive elements were adapted to modern weapons: in the 15th century loopholes were introduced, a moat was dug around the outer walls of the fortress, and polygonal towers were adapted for better resistance and attack with firearms.
In addition to the mighty citadel, the castle Gradara was one of the most prestigious residences for the Lord: an elegant patio, chambers, furnished with exquisite taste and decorated with precious frescoes with mythological episodes. There were such privileged persons as the highly respected Battista di Montefeltro, the wife of Galeazzo, as well as His Excellency Signor Rimini Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta. There are legends that in 1285 in one of the rooms of the castle occurred the famous love tragedy of Paolo il Bello and Francesca Da Polenta.
History of the fortress with the Sforza family
The castle was the scene of many historical clashes between the rulers of the nearest cities . For example , in 1463 the troops of the Ruler and the Duke of Urbino Federico da Montefeltro with the support of Pope Pius II defeated the army of Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta . After the siege and the subsequent battle of Sijismondo Pandolfo Malatesta surrendered . Domination over the territory castle passed under the patronage in the Holy See, and was subsequently transferred to the Sforza family, the dukes of Milan . Thus, Gradara Castle was in the possession of the Malatesta family for more than one and a half centuries .
Giovanni Sforza is the next key figure in the development of Gradara . It was he who started the restoration and improvement works of the castle . During his reign, majestic frescoes framed with carved frames, well preserved up to now . Some works at the Italian painter and sculptor Amico Aspertini . In 1494 the second wife of Giovanni Sforza came to Gradara, the fourteen-year-old Lucrezia Borgia . Historical sources describe her as a cruel woman who persecuted her husbands . In reality, she was under the power of her own father's desires and interests, Pope Alexander VI (Alessandro VI Borgia) .
The wedding of Giovanni and Lucretia was played with only one goal: to create a strong political alliance with a rich and powerful family in Milan . Father Bow he himself decided who would be the next husband of his daughter, in order to satisfy his political intrigues and strengthen his position .And those who disagreed with him were poisoned . Giovanni Sforza was saved by agreeing to sign documents in which he confessed his sexual impotence . According to medieval laws, this was the reasoned reason for the divorce . After which the territory of Gradara was subordinated Lucrezia's elder brother, Cesare Borgia .
From Della Rovere to the Medici and back
In the years of Pope Julius II della Rovere (Giulio II Della Rovere), the board of the castle would be entrusted to his nephew, the Duke of Urbino, Francesco Maria I della Rovere (Francesco Maria I Della Rovere). In reality, the management was entrusted to the female half of the Della Rovere family. The board, it is worth saying, is wise and fair.
Gradara has always belonged to the Papal State . For this reason, every time the new pope ascended the throne, he transferred the most strategically important territories to his relatives or wards . @ So it happened during the reign of Pope Leo X, who deprived the family of the Della Rovere family in favor of his nephew Lorenzo De 'Medici . Gradara remained under his rule from 1513 to 1521 . After the retreat of the Medices, the territory was returned to the family of Affairs and Rovere (Della Rovere), which lasted until 1631 . In 1631 the principality of Gradara finally passed into the hands of the Papal States, and was granted a long-term lease (in which the family can use the territory for 20 years with the condition to provide improvements to the castle and leaving their own means) to such noble families as Pesaro as Albani and Mosca .
Fortress today
In the first half of 1800 the castle of Gradara became a municipal property And in 1920 it was acquired engineer Umberto Zavetti di Belluno (Umbe rto Zanvettori di Belluno), which in cooperation with the architect and specialist in medieval architecture Gustavo Giovannoni (Gustavo Giovannoni) began major repairs to the restoration of the castle, betraying her the image of the former glory of the reign of Sforza. In 1928, the engineer Zanvetti sold the castle to the state.
After the final restoration, the castle became a state museum. And today it is one of the most visited monuments of history and the place of various musical and artistic performances.