Castello di Rontana: A Ruined Hilltop Castle in Italy
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.2
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Italy
- Primary era
- Medieval
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- Unclassified
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
On this page7 sections
History
Castello di Rontana is a ruined hilltop castle and archaeological site in Italy, on Monte di Rontana within the municipality of Brisighella. Built in the ninth century, it was first documented in 973, when it belonged to Ugone di Rontana. Its position made it part of the political and military struggles that affected Faenza and the surrounding Romagna region.
Medieval Rule and Reconstruction
Troops from Forlì captured the castle in 1201, but it returned to Faenza eight years later. By 1291 it belonged to the Manfredi, the prominent ruling family of Faenza. The stronghold was repeatedly enlarged and altered under successive local rulers. Maghinardo Pagani of Susinana rebuilt it in 1292 after an earlier destruction and also reconstructed its associated parish church.
In 1310 the Fantolini family sold Castello di Rontana to the Manfredi. From 1361, control alternated between the Manfredi and the Holy See, the central authority of the Catholic Church and the power behind the Papal States. Astorgio Manfredi ordered another restoration in 1405.
From Papal Control to Destruction
The castle came under papal control again in 1413 and was granted to the Manfredi of Marradi. It later returned to Faenza, which retained it until 1500, when Dionigi Naldi captured it for Cesare Borgia, a Renaissance military and political leader who controlled territories in central Italy. Venice held the castle in 1506 before it returned once more to the Holy See.
In 1591, papal troops sent by Pope Gregory XIV destroyed the castle while suppressing bandits occupying the stronghold. Castello di Rontana was not rebuilt afterward. Recent excavations by the University of Bologna, carried out with the Parco Regionale della Vena del Gesso Romagnola, have investigated the fortified settlement around the castle. The site is designated Italian national heritage.
Remains
The Fortified Castle
The castle stands high on Monte di Rontana, below the mountain summit. Built of rubble stone, its surviving core includes the west tower, enclosing walls, and fortress courtyard. These elements define the remaining fortified structure and preserve the outline of the stronghold after its destruction in 1591.
The Settlement Around the Fortress
Excavations on the surrounding plateau have revealed a substantial fortified settlement. Its remains include houses, a parish church, a cemetery, and an artisan district, showing that the site extended beyond the central castle into a wider inhabited and working community.
Cistern and Ceramic Finds
The fortress courtyard was built above a large cistern that collected rainwater. Water supply was a major difficulty for settlements along Romagna’s gypsum ridge, a geological formation dominated by exposed gypsum rock. The bottom of the cistern contained several dozen Faenza maiolica vessels, a type of tin-glazed earthenware, dating from the thirteenth to the sixteenth century.
