Built by the powerful Di Vico family, the feudal lords of much of the coast of Lazio and the builders of a large number of medieval towers and fortresses, Santa Marinella Castle has been owned by a number of patrician families, including the Galeria, Anguillara and Orsini dynasties, as well as the Apostolic Camera which entrusted its administration to the Roman Order of the Holy Spirit in Saxia. Having been restructured by the Barberini family, the old fortress was eventually sold back to the Apostolic Camera in 1773 before passing into the hands of its current owners, the Odescalchi family, in 1887. Built on small plateau just behind a small port, the castle incorporates the remains of a Roman villa, which probably belonged to the Roman jurist Ulpian, and is surrounded by thick pine forest. Within the crenellated walls with which the castle grounds are surrounded, an elegant portal opens onto a courtyard which overlooks a mighty Maschio tower. The elegant residential character of the castle has been recently accentuated by Prince Odescalchi who has paid specific attention to cultivating the castle gardens. The ground floor and gardens are currently used for receptions, while the upper floors are still inhabited by the Odescalchi family.

Guided tours of the castle may be organized on request. The castle is also able to host conventions, ceremonies and exhibitions.

First mentioned in a document of 1068 when - following a period of fervent castle-building in the countryside of Lazio it was donated by Gerardo di Galeria to Abbot Berardo of the Abbey of Farfa, Santo Spirito Castle belonged to the monks of Farfa until 1130 when was donated to the Benedictine Monastery of Saint Paul together with all the churches, land, forests and ports of the estate. The importance of the castle increased as the village of Santa Severa became a flourishing port and trading centre and as from the mid-13th century it was owned by a number of patrician families. When the Anguillara family - the last owners of the castle were ex-communicated for rebelling against Pope Paul II in 1465, all their properties were confiscated by the Apostolic Camera in whose ownership they remained until Pope Sixtus V donated the castle to the Order of the Holy Spirit. The castle was probably built in the 14th century on the site of a number of existing buildings.

The castle is open to visitors. Guided tours may be arranged on request. The castle is also able to host conventions, ceremonies, events and exhibitions. During summer months a series of concerts and shows is hosted in the castle grounds.

The ancient fishing village of Ostia is built around two monuments: the church of St. Aurea and the castle of Pope Julius II. Following a series of attacks by Saracen pirates, between 827 and 844 Pope Gregory IV decided to fortify the inhabited area with a crenellated city wall, towers and gates. As a result of the increase in sea trade and the political and religious events which took place in the area, the bishops of Ostia became so powerful that they eventually became responsible for providing a series of new popes. Indeed, eleven of the popes elected in the 10th, 11th and 12th centuries had previously served as the bishop of Ostia. In the first half of the 15th century, Pope Martin V built the great circular tower known as the Maschio tower, while Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere, the future Pope Julius II, commenced the building of the church of St. Aurea and the castle, appointing the Roman architect Baccio Pontelli to design the buildings, as confirmed by the inscription above the castle entrance. The castle was separated from the village by a moat which could only be crossed by means of a bridge. Inside the moat, on one side of a small central courtyard decorated with a fine renaissance well, there were a number of dwellings, while the other of the courtyard was dedicated to the noble quarters. The service areas included a corridor running under the upper towers along which an oven and a circular pool, which was probably used for refrigeration purposes, can still be seen. The staircase leading to the upper floor was especially designed to be wide enough to climb on horseback and is decorated with precious frescoes which many scholars attribute to Peruzzi. Following the floods of 1557, the River Tiber - which originally flanked the castle - shifted its course several hundred metres north. As a result the area around the castle gradually turned into uncultivated marshland and the inhabited area was abandoned.

The castle is open to visitors. Entrance is free. Closed on Mondays. Guided tours are organized every hour between 9:00 am and 12:45 pm on weekdays and bank holidays for groups of no more than 30 people and at 3:00 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Guided tours for large groups must be booked (+39 06 56358013 or +39 06 56358024).

Torre Astura castle is located in one of the most enchanting natural habitats in the region of Lazio. First occupied in the 1st century BC, when a sumptuous villa was built there, the site was abandoned following the fall of Rome and left to ruin. A small landing stage belonging to the Benedictine monks of the Monastery of Saint Anselm in Rome was established in the early 11th century and a watchtower was built in the area in 1050. The fortification of the area continued into the following century. In 1831 the area was sold by the Colonna family to the Borghese family who, towards the middle of the 19th century, sold it to the Italian state. In 1268, following his defeat at Tagliacozzo, Corradino of Svevia sought shelter in the castle together with Federico Di Badenberg, the Duke of Austria, before being betrayed by Giovanni Frangipane, handed over to the Angevins, taken to Naples and beheaded by Charles II of Anjou. In 1290, the Aragons revenged the death of Corradino of Svevia by besieging the castle and executing many members of the Frangipane family. Torre Astura was further devastated in the mid-14th century by the imperial troops of King Ludovic the Bavarian.The robust walls of the square-shaped castle inside which there is a fine five-sided tower are breached by only two entrances: one from the bridge and the other on the seaward side (guarded by a small tower).

Perched on a tuff spur, surrounded by cliffs and protected by mighty ramparts, many of which can still be discerned, the castle belonged to the Monastery of the Basilica of Saint Paul until the 11th century when, as confirmed by a document conserved in the Capitoline Archive in Rome, the monastery was forced to sell the castle to Iacobello Orsini for 14,000 golf florins in order to raise a sum of money requested by Pope Urban VI. The Monastery resumed possession of the castle in 1395 in exchange for other assets and administered the estate until 1421, when the village and castle were incorporated into the feudal lands of the Colonna family, who both restored the castle and turned it into a typically 16th-century noble residence. In 1564 Marcantonio Colonna sold the castle which was now fortified on the northern side - to Giuliano Cesarini for 105,000 scudos. The castle remained part of the Cesarini estate until the start of the last century. Although the castle was kept in good condition by the Cesarini family, during the second world war much of the original structure was destroyed and left to ruin.

The castle is not open to visitors.

The Bishop's Palace of the Port of Fiumicino is built in a wide range of architectural styles and includes mid-Imperial, medieval and even modern-day sections. The port of Fiumicino separated from the port of Ostia to become an autonomous diocese during the reign of Emperor Constantine, while the fortification of the port area is mentioned for the first time in a document of 983. During the reign of Pope Boniface VIII, the castrum portus was sold to the estate of Tancia, the widow of Annibaldo Stefaneschi, and a number of fortifications were added to the urban area, although the only building used at the time was the castle (in which Enea Silvio Piccolomini stayed in May 1463). The castle was further fortified by Pope Sixtus IV and Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia, the future Pope Alexander VI. Restored in 1583 by Pope Gregory XIII, throughout the 16th century the rectangular castle complex was surrounded by a wall and included a number of open spaces and blocks of outbuildings. After further restorations, the castle was eventually sold to the Torlonia family. The Bishop's Palace of the Port of Fiumicino is a building which has developed over time, with each stage of its development being clearly defined by the type of architecture used (and reused). In the late medieval period, the castle was used for defensive purposes, while in the late renaissance it was employed to express the aesthetic aspirations of the bishops who resided in it. Mainly owned by the Stefaneschi family until 1456, the castle was then administered by the papal estate, as confirmed in two papal bulls establishing the duties to be paid to the Bishop of the Port of Fiumicino in 1462. In 1657 Cardinal Flavio Chigi enlarged the church, built a new chapel dedicated to Saint Erasmus, had a large clock placed on the tower and founded a congregation of fishermen. In 1723 Vincenzo Orsini had the church re-consecrated to the Virgin of the Rosary. Shortly after, Francesco Pignatelli extended and restored the cardinals' apartments and added more rooms to the hospice, while Bishop Pietro Ottoboni gave the Port of Fiumicino a more aristocratic appearance. In 1796 the port was sold to a private owner and abandoned until it passed into the hands of Cardinal Bartolomeo Pacca. In 1856 the estate was sold to the Torlonia family who completed a implemented considerable land reclamation operations in order to make the area suitable for agricultural purposes. In 1923 the area was illegally occupied by colonies and the Municipality and Local Government of Rome were forced to order the Torlonia family to restore the buildings. Unfortunately the Torlonia family did not have sufficient means to undertake such a project and was forced to sell the estate to the Congregation of the Children of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

The bishop's palace is currently owned by the Congregation of the Children of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (Congregazione delle Figlie di Santa Maria Immacolata). For further information: 06 65010792. Access to the courtyard and church is free while permission is needed to access the residential areas.

Architecturally similar to Falconieri castle in Torrimpietra, Rospigliosi castle in Maccarese is an important example of the way in which rural settlements developed in the Roman countryside in the middle ages. Named after the family which owned the property for the longest amount of time, Rospigliosi castle was originally conceived as a fortified outpost whose purpose was to defend the inland territories of Lazio from pirate attacks. The castle is mentioned in several documents as the property of the Normanni family (1254). With the dying out of the Normanni Alberteschi family in 1426, the castle and the surrounding estate passed into the hands of Alessandro Alessandrini and then to the Anguillara family. In 1527 Giovanni Battista Anguillara sold the property to Ciriaco Mattei who fortified the castle in 1569 with the addition of four corner towers, an undertaking marked by the coat-of-arms which is still located on the western side of the castle. In 1683 Alessandro Mattei sold the estate to Stefano Pallavicini who consequently transferred the property to the Rospigliosi family (when Stefano Pallavicini's daughter married Giovanni Battista Rospigliosi). Giovanni Battista Rospigliosi extended the castle between 1722 and 1752, changing its appearance from that of a fortified medieval castle to that of an artistically prestigious stately home. Following a decline in the financial fortunes of the Rospigliosi family at the start of the 20th century, the estate was sold to two different owners. Characterized by many cross-vaulted areas, despite various transformations the castle is still extremely noble in appearance. Inside its furnishings and decorations are mainly finished in a mid-20th century style although some pre-20th century elements, such as the grit flooring and frescoed ceilings, still survive. Considerably reduced in number as a result of theft, the surviving furnishings and works of art have now been transferred to safe places than the castle which is now a uninhabited.

The castle is not open to visitors.

Originally a fortified settlement, Falconieri castle developed into a centre of intense agricultural and livestock breeding activity before becoming a real and proper stately home in the 16th-17th centuries. Owned by the Normanni Alberteschi family throughout the 13th and much of the 14th century, the estate eventually fell into ruin and was sold to the Anguillara family, who divided the lands and sold part of the territory to Massimo di Lello Cecchi Massimi. However, it was only in 1590 when the Massimi family sold the estate to Camilla Peretti, the sister of Pope Sixtus V, that the castle was eventually turned into an elegant hunting lodge. On the death of Domenico Peretti in 1631, the estate passed into the hands of his son Francesco who, in 1639, sold it to Orazio Falconieri. Under the Falconieri family, the owners of the estate for two centuries, the castle was transformed with Alessandro Falconieri, the grandson of Orazio, restoring the chapel, modernizing the decorations and building new rooms in 1712 and Nicola Michetti creating the elegant passageway from the inner courtyard to the upper floors in 1719 and appointing the young architect, Ferdinando Fuga, already known as the designer of the Imperial Palace of Peter the Great in Saint Petersburg, to design a new church in 1723. According to an inscription in the chapel, the 18th-century church was visited by Pope Benedict XIII on the occasion of the Holy Jubilee of 1725. On Alessandro Falconieri's investiture as a cardinal in the same year, the clock tower was added to the main façade and decorated with the Falconieri coat of arms. A period of decline in the agricultural activity of the estate most of which had been rented out - and the fact the castle which increasingly less used by the Falconieri family enabled the Napoleonic troops to seriously damage the windows, doors and furnishings of the castle in 1815. After various changes of ownership following the death of the last member of the Falconieri family in 1865, the estate was owned by the Florio family until 1922, the year in which the land was bought by Società Bonifiche Agrarie. In 1926 the estate was sold to Senator Luigi Alberini who turned the estate into a farm and appointed Michele Busiri Vici to restore the buildings of the village. During the second world war, the farm complex was temporarily occupied by German troops before being returned to the Alberini family who still manage the property.

The castle may be visited on request. For information, please contact 06/61697226; website: www.castellotorreimpietra.it; e-mail: info@castellotorreimpietra.it

Surrounded by a wall fortified with a series of towers overlooking the sea, the rectangular castle complex is composed of a central courtyard and four circular corner towers which, unlike those of older types of castle, are low, solid and conceived to offer the smallest possible surface area to enemy weapons. The first documents mentioning the existence of a castle in Palo Laziale date back to 1254, although the castle of that time could not have been much more than a simple defensive building composed of walls and a tower. Indeed, it was only with the construction of the castrum Pali on the same site by the Orsini family in the 14th century that the castle began to take on the semblance of a fortress. With the transferal of the castrum Pali from Niccolò Orsini to Anastasella, the wife of Giovanni di Sciarpa di Vico, in 1370, the castle finally took on its modern-day appearance, although the many power struggles in which the Orsini family was involved over the 15th century caused considerable damage to the structure. In 1573 Paolo Giordano Orsini sold the castle to Cardinal Alessandro Farnese and in 1589 Ferdinando dei Medici bought the castle in order to give it back to the Orsini family who extended it and restored the fortifications. Having been bought by Livio Odescalchi in order to help the indebted Orsini family, the castle changed hands several times before once more returning to the Odescalchi family who requested that the papal garrison be removed from the castle and re-stationed at Torre Flavia. In 1792 a new garrison was stationed in Palo in order to protect the area from possible attack by the French and was only dismissed in 1793. By the end of the 17th century, the castle walls protected numerous dwellings and workshops, all of whose mission was to supply the various garrisons stationed in the castle, the prince's staff and a number of private guests. In 1849 the French stationed a garrison at Palo in order to support the pope following the proclamation of the Roman Republic, with the buildings occupied by the troops only being given back to the Odescalchi family in 1876. In 1870 the building was turned into a stately home and is now the "La Posta Vecchia" hotel. The residential area of Palo already included a number of buildings at the end of the 15th century to which Pope Livio I added a service building designed by Raffi in 1706. This building was later used as the post stage from which the hotel takes its name.

Palo Nature Reserve (Oasi del Bosco di Palo) is open to visitors on Sundays between October and May from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. For bookings, please contact Cooperativa Darwin: +39 06 9911641.

A characteristic example of the type of rural castle and village system found throughout the Roman countryside in medieval times, Castellum Ceri was founded between 1195 and 1231 and included among the assets of Alberto Giovanni Stefano Normanni in 1254. Although the feudal estate operated according to a territorial system which was effective throughout the 13th century, it was eventually ceded first to the Venturini family and then to the Anguillara dynasty. Indeed, although Nicola Venturini donated the castrum to Everso and Felice Anguillara in 1446, the Venturini dynasty nevertheless retained the right to the tithes. At the end of the 15th century, the estate was inherited by Francesco and Renzi Ceri in whose family it remained for two centuries until it came down to Porzia, the daughter of Titta Anguillara Ceri. Widowed as a young bride by Giovanni Orsini, Porzia then married Paolo Emilio Cesi, the Marquis of Riano, to whom she gave a male heir, Andrea. However, such was the ambition of Everso and Flaminio Anguillara that in 1582 they claimed that a "deed of trust" left by an old ancestor established that the right to ownership of the family's assets could only be inherited by a male descendant and that Porzia, and consequently her son, could not inherit any of the Anguillara lands. Nevertheless, the estate was eventually inherited by the descendents of Andrea Cesi Anguillara before being given - as the dowry of Giovanna Cesi Anguillara - to Giulio Cesare Borromeo. The feudal rights were then sold to the Odescalchi family, the Serra family, the Odescalchi family once again and the Torlonia family. The estate is currently formed of approximately sixteen buildings which have gradually been bought back via a process of indemnification. Comparison of the current state of the village with a Gregorian land map of 1818, shows that all the buildings have been considerably altered.

The castle is not open to visitors.

Lying flush against the castle wall, Palazzo Torlonia is a three-storey L-shaped building which also incorporates a roof garden and a number of cellars of uncertain date. The underground storerooms, which are probably older than the surface-level buildings, were probably used as a means of communicating with the defensive structures of the village. In the main palace building, one side of the staircase is decorated with 19th century frescoes, while it has been recently discovered that the 19th century plaster on the other side hides a number of 16th century frescoes. The ceilings of the northern wing are also painted with frescoes: one featuring a zodiac theme; and the other focusing on mythological figures. Mentioned by Stendhal in his A Roman Journal, the roof garden of Palazzo Torlonia was created using land from the surrounding countryside to fill an area once occupied by the buildings of the local village. The roof garden is laid out according to a 19th-century Romanic design with lawns and gravel paths lined with irises. The current owner is dedicated to nurturing the traditional "white garden".

Palazzo Torlonia and gardens are not open to visitors although, in specific cases, visits can be arranged via telephone. The palace is regularly rented for the organization of receptions: Warden: +39 06 99207152; Events Office: +39 06 5758606.

Probably built by either Franceschetto Cybo or Bartolomeo della Rovere in the second half of the 15th century, the original castle was vastly altered by Gentile Virginio Orsini in 1517. Despite the addition of the portico, the loggia and other interior structures in the 17th century, the palazzo was once again restructured on coming into the Ruspoli family. During the Nazi occupation, the palazzo was seriously damaged, although recent restoration initiatives have reopened the portico which was walled up after the war. Built of large blocks of tuff decorated with brick trimmings, the palace is formed of two juxtaposed buildings of different ages. Asymmetric in shape and decorated with a five-arched portico and a loggia, the building is similar to many other 16th-century homes in the Viterbo area. The main door is surmounted by the Ruspoli coat of arms. On the first floor there are three rooms with false pavilion ceilings dating back to the time of Gentile Virginio Orsini, each of which is decorated with 16th century frescoes of mythological subjects. The original terracotta floors are still present in many of the rooms. The doors of the first floor are set in stone frames decorated with the Venturini coat of arms.

The ground floor is currently used as a cultural centre and is home to Cerite National Museum, a collection of archeological items from private collections and recent excavations in the local area. Entrance to Palazzo Ruspoli is free. Opening hours: 8:30 am - 7:30 pm; closed on Mondays and bank holidays. For further information: +39 06 9941354

Set in the grounds of the huge Castel Fusano estate, not far from Ostia, the castle is located on the site of the ancient villa of Pliny. The castle is mentioned in a papal bull issued by Pope Gregory VII in 1074 in which it is confirmed that the Massa Fusana belonged to the Monastery of Saint Paul. Having become the property of the monastery of Saint Anastasius, in 1391 the castle was sold to the Fabij family who remained as its owners until 1627, the year in which the castle was acquired by Alessandro Sacchetti (and described in the relative deeds as a farmhouse or estate). In 1755 the castle and estate were sold to Prince Chigi for 135,000 scudos. The Chigi family were particularly fond of the castle as a result of both the mildness of the local climate and the fishing and hunting opportunities offered by the area and commissioned Pietro da Cortona to restore and decorate the entire building. The interior of the building is dominated by the decorations commissioned by Cardinal Giulio. Indeed, the series of maps on the second floor uses a magnificent symbolic and scientific iconography to illustrate the seas, continents and countries known to man at the time as well as a number of seascapes and illustrations of the properties of the Sacchetti family. A painting of the 18th-century castle shows the building painted white with a symmetrical garden all around. Although the white plaster has now more or less disappeared, the castle has not been otherwise altered to any great extent. The castle is still owned by the Chigi family.

The castle is not open to visitors.

Located in the centre of the village of Pratica di Mare, Borghese castle has been the property of various owners including the Basilica of Saint Paul, Gabriele Cesarini, Domenico Massimo and his son, Luca Massimo. Following the completion of a restructuring project directed by Antonio Sangallo the Younger, in 1617 the village and castle were bought by Marcantonio Borghese who fortified the front of the castle, decorated some of its rooms and restructured a number of arches and openings. In the 18th century, the village was transformed by the rural activities scheme promoted by Giovanni Battista Borghese. Images of the 16th century palazzo by Ashby show a high perimeter wall pierced by an orderly row of windows. Today the castle is completely different in appearance, although the Borghese coat of arms (featuring an eagle, a dragon and two crossed swords) still hangs on one of the walls of the inner courtyard and a commemorative stone outside the tower celebrates the renovation of the village by Camillo Borghese.

The castle belongs to the Borghese family who live there in summer months. The castle is not open to visitors.