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| Palazzo Orsini , Mugnano in Teverina |
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| balcony across the piazza |
One of the
many castles perched on hilltops along the A1 Autostrada north of Rome is Palazzo Orsini located in the tiny village of Mugnano in Teverina, just a speck on the map and not included in any tourist itineraries.
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| meeting at Mugnano 's tiny park |
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| the Barberini sisters in the courtyard |
The owners are sisters Elsa and
Gabriella Barberini who grew up here, a
slice of heaven in Northern Lazio, bordering on the regions of Umbria and Tuscany .
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| the castle's loggia |
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| entrance to Palazzo Orsini |
When they
inherited the rambling palazzo from their parents they began the long,
difficult restoration. Over a period of
many decades they put their time and
money into the huge project, while working as teachers.
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| courtyard with bricks in fishbone design |
The most recent restoration involved repainting the façade
and the installation of a new roof using the original terracotta roof tiles.
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| steep stairway |
Now Palazzo Orsini has been returned to its original splendor, and has been
officially inaugurated as a very special
historic B&B with only 3 bedroom suites.
Breakfast is served in one
of the several frescoed halls or on the south facing loggia and often the castle hosts receptions and wedding parties which use
the tiny church on the main piazza for the ceremony.
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| frescoed loggia overlooking the Tiber valley |
When a
group of friends led by Pamela and Terri
recently came to visit, the sisters
invited us to stop by on our way to Bomarzo’s
Sacro Bosco nearby.
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| homemade crostata and yogurt cake |
The day was
splendid and the views over the Tiber
river valley from the castle’s frescoed loggia were breathtaking, especially to
ladies hailing from the flat plains of
midwestern America.
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| hospitality for American visitors |
Elsa and
Gabriella showed us around their
beautiful castle home pointing out the
different phases of restoration and original
architectural details such as fireplaces, secret doors, frescoed walls and coffered wood ceilings.
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| original door with peephole |
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| geraniums on the loggia |
What castles have you visited in Italy?
Your comments are welcome.
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| the rose symbol of the Orsini family |
