The Fumone Castle was the primary military fortress of the Papal State of Lower Lazio; it was used for over 500 years as a lookout point... #tuttitaly
Located at 783 m above sea level, Fumone is a beautiful medieval village in Ciociaria. Thanks to its strategic position, since ancient times, it assumed a vital function of controlling the territory, especially in the periods marked by the invasions of the Saracens, Normans, and Lombards.
Arriving at the top of the mountain, it is possible to reach the city center through two doors: the Porta Romana, in the past the only access to the fortress, and the Porta Napoletana, which was an emergency exit.
The Fumone Castle was the primary military fortress of the Papal State of Lower Lazio. For over 500 years, it was used as a lookout point. The massive column of smoke on the high tower was picked up and transmitted from Rocca di Cave, Castel San Pietro di Palestrina and Paliano, and the city's buildings, warning Rome of the imminent danger. From this was born the famous adage: "When Fumone smokes, the whole countryside trembles, and also the name of the town."
Unassailable fortress, it managed to resist the attempts of conquest by Federico Barbarossa and Henry VI.
In 1118 Maurice Bourdin, a French anti-pope known as Gregory VIII, was imprisoned in the castle as a state prisoner. He died in 1124, and his body, buried in the palace, was never found again.
The village is known above all for being the place of imprisonment of Pope Celestino V at the behest of the new Pope Boniface VIII. The one who "for cowardice made the great refusal" died after about ten months of imprisonment on May 19, 1296.
Since then, the castle has also become a spiritually significant place.
In 1584, Giovanni Longhi bought and began the transformation of the ancient fortress. His heirs completed the restoration work by constructing a vast 3500 m² roof garden above the Rocca. Due to its extension, the garden is considered the largest in Europe among those at an altitude of over 800 m above sea level. It offers visitors a magnificent view of the whole of Ciociaria.
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