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.