The Rocca Albornoz of Spoleto is an imposing fortress located on the Colle Sant'Elia, in a strategic position and overlooking the entire valley.
It was built from 1359 and is part of a series of fortresses wanted by Pope Innocent VI in order to restore its authority over the territories of central Italy that were part of the Church State, since it was located in Avignon.

To carry out this important project, the Pope sent to Italy the powerful Spanish Cardinal Egidio Albornoz, who entrusted to Matteo di Giovannello da Gubbio, called "il Gattapone", the direction of the works.
The completion took place around 1370 and from that time the fortress of Spoleto became the pivot of the defensive system placed to control the Via Flaminia. From there also started the military actions aimed at recovering the territories of Umbria, Marche and Romagna.

It later became the residence of the rectors of the Duchy, the governors of the city and the papal legates and this made the Fortress enriched with decorations and frescoes. Unfortunately many were lost from 1816, when the structure was transformed into a prison, function that maintained until 1982.

In that year, the impressive restoration work was started, which restored the original image of the rooms, even with the inevitable loss of the pictorial decorations.


The structure has a rectangular shape, is defended by six imposing towers and houses two courtyards: the Courtyard of Arms, originally the seat of the armed militia, and the Courtyard of Honour, reserved for administrators and governors.

The rooms overlooking the representative area are of great interest: the Hall of Honour, the larger environment of the Fortress intended to host ceremonies and banquets, and the Pinta Room, which preserves two beautiful cycles of secular genre frescoes dating from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.

Among the "tenants" of the fortress certainly the most legendary was Lucrezia Borgia, daughter of Pope Alexander VI, who elected her regent of the Duchy of Spoleto just nineteen years old.
The "male" of the fortress, the central tower of the castle of Spoleto facing the city destined to be the fulcrum of an extreme defense, remained the name of Torre della Spiritata, perhaps in memory of the cruelties and revenge of the castellana...

Today you can visit various areas of the fortress: the Courtyard of Honor, the Courtyard of Arms, the Hall of Honor and the Pinta Room.

Inside the Rocca Albornoziana is the National Museum of the Duchy, which occupies fifteen historical rooms of the Rocca and is divided into two levels: on the ground floor and on the first floor of the Courtyard of Honor. The works and materials are exhibited according to a chronological principle, as a testimony of the artistic vitality and the substantial cultural unity of the vast territory known for centuries under the name of the Duchy of Spoleto.

Around the fortress you can walk the so-called Giro della Rocca, a one-kilometre loop that represents one of the most beautiful and popular walks in the city and from where you can admire a synthesis of its main monuments.