Castello Ruspoli, Renaissance castle in Vignanello, Italy.
Castello Ruspoli is a 16th-century castle in Vignanello, Lazio, built around 1574 as the seat of the counts of Vignanello; its design is attributed to Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola. On the ground floor is a chapel dedicated to Santa Giacinta Marescotti, canonized in 1807. Beside the castle stands a Renaissance giardino all'italiana created in the 17th century by Ottavia Orsini, with a labyrinth.
In 1531 Pope Clement VII granted Vignanello as a fief to Beatrice Farnese; her daughter Ottavia married Sforza Marescotti, and Pope Paul III raised the fief to a county. The castle was built around 1574 as the seat of the counts, with work attributed to Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola. Francesco Maria Marescotti Ruspoli, 6th Count of Vignanello, became 1st Prince of Cerveteri, and the family still owns the castle as a private residence.
The Renaissance giardino all'italiana was created in the 17th century by Ottavia Orsini, who married into the Marescotti family, and it holds a labyrinth. The gardens are among Italy's best surviving examples of the Renaissance Italian garden, and the castle's ground-floor chapel is dedicated to Santa Giacinta Marescotti, canonized by Pius VII in 1807.
The castle opens to visitors through guided tours, so booking ahead is a good idea since access to certain rooms and the garden can vary. The building sits in the center of Vignanello and is easy to spot from the main street.
The Renaissance garden was created in the 17th century by Ottavia Orsini, who married into the Marescotti family, and it still holds a labyrinth. The castle also keeps a ground-floor chapel dedicated to Santa Giacinta Marescotti, canonized by Pius VII in 1807. In 2021 scenes of the film Rosaline were shot here, and it is a main location of the television series The Decameron.
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