The castle was a Benedictine abbey in the 9th century turned into a fortified castle in the 12th century.
It was in a strategic position, between the Papal State and the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.
It had various owners over the centuries.
In 1430, Ranuccio Farnese the Elder made it a fief and in 1513 Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, future Pope Paul III, had it as a life annuity.
It was included in the Duchy of Castro from 1537 to 1649, when it returned to the Papal State.
In the 19th century, it passed to the Torlonia family snd then to the Italian State.
In 1975, it became the seat of the National Archaeological Museum of Vulci.
Did you know that …?
The castle has a 30-meter high Roman bridge dating back to the 3rd century BC and overlooking the river Fiora, ‘a magnificent structure, bestriding the rocky abyss like a colossus’, as George Dennis described it.
