Special Women of Castello Ruspoli

 

    Yesterday  I was honored to be among the music loving guests gathered at Castello Ruspoli in Vignanello for  luncheon and concert of the 9^th international  prize for Baroque singing  and musical studies. 
I have often written about this  castle,  one of central Italy’s  most  significant historical properties, that has been in the same family since 1531.

Donna Giada and  Manola at castle entance

brick floors  spina di pesce16th century

  

   

imposing facade of Castello Ruspoli, Vignanello 

It was the first visit  since my  discovery in a local church of the only portrait of  an infamous ancestor of the Marescotti-Ruspoli family, Ortensia Farnese. The story of Ortensia’s  nefarious deeds   is narrated in my recently published  “The Painted Palazzo/Il Palazzo Dipinto” , the 7th publication dedicated to the  Tuscia/Etruria  area here in central Italy.  

Ortensia, Madonna del Riscatto, Vetralla

Ortensia Farnese  fresco discovered in Vetralla

The contest for Baroque singers and musicians is named for  Prince Francesco Maria Ruspoli  (1672-1731) a patron of Handel . It  is a unique experience for scholars  and performers offering  a monetary award and solo concerts at the castle and later in Copenhagen and Havana. Singers and instrumentalists specialized  in Baroque music compete in alternate years .

Guests for the luncheon and concert were greeted in  the castle entrance hall by Donna Giada Ruspoli and shown into a cozy room where  aperitivi were served . 

the gardens created by Ottavia Orsini 

Other  guests  took a stroll in the magnificent  gardens designed in 1610 by Ottavia Orsini Marescotti, daughter of the creator of  Bomarzo’s  Sacro Bosco. The gardens  retain  the original   design and parterres which are lovingly  maintained by the castle’s  gardener, Santino.

Gardener Santino greets  Prince Stash    and Tan 

As well as  great patrons of the arts and benefactors,  the historical Marescotti-Ruspoli family also  included  saints  and sinners. 
In  the family chapel on the ground floor  mementos of the family saint, St. Giacinta, are kept. 

in the chapel 

dress of Saint Giacinta Marescotti 

papal shoes and robes 

 Upstairs in the many rooms of the piano nobile, numerous family portraits  line the walls and vintage photos show other  Marescotti –Ruspoli ancestors.  A memento  of Ortensia, and her  three  unlucky husbands, can be seen on the fireplace mantle – a half erased coat of arms.

fireplace with  coat of arms

    

buffet  in front of the fireplace 

castle rooms 

still life  

setting up for the luncheon 

Luncheon was  held in several salons  of the piano nobile, next to the main hall  where the concert  was held . 

program of the  concert 

The  audience of music  connoisseurs  was enthralled by the voice  of this year’s  winner of the Ruspoli prize,   Hungarian contralto Dalma Krajnyak, accompanied   by Luigi Trivisano at the clavicembalo.  

named after his ancestor, Francesco Maria Ruspoli 

Surely Handel and his Ruspoli benefactor, Prince Francesco Maria, were  smiling  down on the castle yesterday as history repeated itself with beautiful music, good company and interesting encounters .

Lunch at Ruspoli Castle

Ruspoli Castle seen from the gardens

still life  at the castle kitchen 

corridor to the castle chapel 

   

The town of Vignanello  was in full festival mode  this week for the beginning of  Carnival coincided  with  the feast days of two local saints, Santa Giacinta Marescotti and San Biagio.

the Duomo of Vignanello faces the Castello 

Giada holds her copy of my
latest book  

plan of the castle's  Renaissance gardens 

warming up by the fireplace

Family coat of arms and portraits  in main salone

Ruspoli ancestors tower over Fulvio 

 We were guests of Donna Giada Ruspoli for lunch at her family  Castello, which dominates the town of Vignanello, sharing the main piazza  with the Duomo.

with Donna Giada Ruspoli 

 Arriving to the piazza the noise level increased as we struggled against  the icy winds that channeled down the narrow main street: besides the celebratory fireworks that reverberated off the  Duomo and castle walls the  town  band was  playing and the traffic  in the tiny piazza worked itself into gridlock.

family portraits  and candles 

crossing the moat 

One must cross the moat to enter the castle’s  massive entrance  doors and once inside  the  guests  enjoyed bruschette and aperitivi in the warm glow of portable heaters. 

Elisa and Claudio Fochetti, Fulvio and Elizabeth 

Elizabeth  with Santino, the castle's gardener extrordinaire 

Some hardy guests   braved the cold to cross a further  moat  which connects the castle with its famous  Renaissance gardens.  

the Renaissance gardens 

three young guests in the castle 's main salone 

Many of those invited  were specialists in antique music  who had come  up from Rome for the day. Others hailed from places further away: Portugal, Oxford and  Brazil.

guests enjoyed lunch and desserts...

...around the tables and  the fireplace

Lunch was served in two living rooms on the piano nobile  and guests served themselves at a buffet table  in the main  room decorated with  family portraits and with the best views over the garden.   

Donna Giada and Signor Fochetti

Chiara Pelliccia,  Giorgio Monari, Francesco Maria Ruspoli and Donna Giada Ruspoli 

Following lunch  Dr. Chiara Pelliccia winner of  the Prince Francesco Maria Ruspoli international prize for music studies   spoke about  her research on  the cantata da camera of 17^th century musician, Giovanni Lorenzo Lutier  and  Dr.Giorgio Monari presented the “Miscellanea Ruspoli” studies in Baroque music .
Your comments (commenti anche in italiano o portoghese sono benvenuti )  are welcome.