Joel Bowman, roaming Tbilisi…but dreaming of Tivoli, checking in…
Along the cloud-crested ridges of the Sabine Hills, surrounded by lush gardens and thick, wild forest, rests the quaint comune of San Gregorio da Sassola. It’s centerpiece, a baronial castle dating to the 10th century, was built on the ruins of a still-older, ancient castle, the tufaceous spur beneath providing a natural defense wall in the rock.
Known today as Castello Brancaccio, after the family that renovated it through the latter part of the 19th century, the impressive medieval building provides a glimpse back in time, to when kings and dukes held sway over the land and its humble townspeople.
And yet, as impressive as the sweeping vista from the Castello’s main terrace surely is, the great walls and ceilings inside are equally breathtaking. Federico Zuccari, the man responsible for the oversized murals, was a busy fellow… even for a 16th century artist.
Not only did his master brushstrokes adorn the walls and ceiling of the grand banquet hall in the Castello Brancaccio (as seen above), he also provided the frescos for the magnificent Villa d’Este in nearby Tivoli.
Read more about the Villa, in which Franz Liszt once resided, here…
P.S. Have you already downloaded our latest novel, Night Drew Her Sable Cloak? It’s available for Fellow Flânuers in our Books Section, here. Members also get our debut novel, Morris, Alive. And all upcoming efforts with the quill (we’re working on a third, pre-award winning novel presently)…
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A Moder Flâneur in... Castello Brancaccio