Rocca delle Caminate is a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

castle located in

Meldola Meldola () is a town and ''comune'' near Forlì, in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. History The area of Meldola has been inhabited since very ancient times. The ancient Rome, Romans built here a large aqueduct (still existing under the ground) which serve ...

, around from

Predappio Predappio ( , ; or ) is a (municipality) in the province of Forlì-Cesena, in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, with a population of 6,135 as of 1 January 2021. The town is best known for being the birthplace of Benito Mussolini, founder of ...

in the

Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...

region of Italy. It functioned as the summer home of

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...

, who was born in Predappio.

History

The ''Rocca delle Caminate'' was built in the 10th century, most likely on the site of a Roman fort. In 1927, the castle was donated to

. It was then renovated by interior designer Guido Malagola Cappi. The external renovations included the addition of a lighthouse, which shone a powerful light whenever the Italian leader was present. It was here that Mussolini, during a brief sojourn in March 1933, composed the first version of the

Four-Power Pact The Four-Power Pact, also known as the Quadripartite Agreement, was an international treaty between the United Kingdom, French Third Republic, France, Kingdom of Italy, Italy, and Nazi Germany, Germany that was initialed on 7 June 1933 and signe ...

. It became Mussolini's summer residence in the area and he held meetings with dignitaries during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, such as Romanian Foreign Minister

Mihai Antonescu Mihai Antonescu (18 November 1904 – 1 June 1946) was a Romanian politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister during World War II, executed in 1946 as a war criminal. Early career Born in Nucet, Dâmbovița County, he ...

, while staying there. The castle was also used as a site of torture, with members of the

Italian resistance movement The Italian Resistance ( ), or simply ''La'' , consisted of all the Italian resistance groups who fought the occupying forces of Nazi Germany and the fascist collaborationists of the Italian Social Republic during the Second World War in Italy ...

being beaten or killed there. At the end of the war, it was partly destroyed by Allied troops in search of treasure, with the rest of the furniture being removed by locals. Following the war and Mussolini's death, his widow Rachele made efforts to sell the castle.

21st century

Calls have been made for the castle's lighthouse to be restored to attract visitors, and

mayor

Gian Luca Zattini Gian Luca Zattini (born 12 April 1955 in Meldola) is an Italian politician. Zattini studied as MD and works as dentist; he was a member of the Christian Democracy (1980-1994) and served as member of municipal council (from 1975) and mayor of Mel ...

suggested parts of the castle be converted into a restaurant. The project was approved by the local government in 2017, but some critics suggested it could become a pilgrimage point for modern Fascists and seen as a celebration of Mussolini.

References

{{Coord missing, Italy Castles in Emilia-Romagna Buildings and structures in the Province of Forlì-Cesena Meldola