The Rocca di Mondavio or Rocca Roveresca di Mondavio is a 15th-century castle in the town of

Mondavio Mondavio is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pesaro e Urbino in the Italian region Marche, located about west of Ancona and about south of Pesaro. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). ...

, in the region of

Marche Marche ( ; ), in English sometimes referred to as the Marches ( ) from the Italian name of the region (Le Marche), is one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. The region is located in the Central Italy, central area of the country, ...

, Italy. The castle is now two museums.

History

The castle was commissioned by

Giovanni Della Rovere Giovanni della Rovere (1457 – November 1501) was an Italian condottiero. He was a nephew of Pope Sixtus IV, and the brother of Giuliano della Rovere (1443–1513), Pope Julius II from 1503. Biography Giovanni della Rovere was born at Savona. ...

around 1492 from the architect

Francesco di Giorgio Martini Francesco di Giorgio Martini (1439–1501) was an Italian architect, engineer, painter, sculptor, and writer. As a painter, he belonged to the Sienese School. He was considered a visionary architectural theorist—in Nikolaus Pevsner's terms ...

. The castle, in excellent state of conservation since it was never sieged or bombed, houses a museum about personal and siege weapons, armor, uniforms, and battle strategies used in the age when such bulwarks were most useful. A

trebuchet A trebuchet () is a type of catapult that uses a hinged arm with a sling attached to the tip to launch a projectile. It was a common powerful siege engine until the advent of gunpowder. The design of a trebuchet allows it to launch projectiles ...

, built to designs of Martini, is on display in the moat. A torture reenactment is on display in the dungeon. Every August 14–15, the castle sponsors a historic re-enactment of a period banquet, theater, and competitions. The events are meant to recall the reconciliation of the town with Giovanni Della Rovere, Lord of

Senigallia Senigallia (or Sinigaglia in Old Italian; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and port town on Italy's Adriatic Sea, Adriatic coast. It is situated in the province of Ancona, in the Italian region of Marche, and lies approximately 30 kilometres nor ...

. The castle also houses painting exhibitions.Comune of Mondavio
entry on castle.

References

{{coord, 43.6741, N, 12.9683, E, source:wikidata, display=title

Mondavio