Aries Fortress
Aries Fortress (Rocca), near Montone, has ancient origins; it was built by the Fortebracci family on the ruins of an ancient fort to protect the local population.
The Fortress followed the historical events of Montone, being used either as a defensive post or for residential purposes over the centuries, but from the sixteenth century onwards it became independent from this Umbrian town.
It features a rectangular plan with a circular tower on the side; it underwent several works to be adapted for residential purposes, although it still bears its massive fortified structure.
First mentioned as early as 1000, it is only in 1376 that its history is linked with the Fortebraccio family.
During that year, Oddo III, Braccio’s father, conquered it and brought it back under Citta’ di Castello.
A few years later, the court of Perugia took the property back again and decided it to fortify it even further in order to make it invincible, entrusting Oddo III Fortebracci with the management of works, given his great skills.
The structure was terminated in 1380 and in the following years it became the subject of a dispute between Perugia and Citta’ di Castello, as it was hard to be attacked.
In the sixteenth century, it became a property of Braccio Fortebracci, who in the meantime had become the absolute Lord of most of Umbria. His family and in particular his wife Nicola Varano spent time there.
Later on, its ownership was transferred to the Bentivoglio family and in 1596 was attacked by six hundred bandits, a common threat in the area at that time.
Meantime, the owners of the fortress changed again after the Bentivoglio sold it for 15.000 Roman crowns to Earl Giambattista Cantalmaggi and from this one it passed into the Della Porta family by means of hereditary rights. In the late nineteenth century it was still owned by the latter, when it was purchased by the Regional Government of Umbria.
So, all in all, it had quite an eventful life.
The ancient fortress, despite being of modest size, boasts a considerable number of fine works, as shown by the sober architecture of palaces and churches and the artworks now kept at the Civic Museum of St. Francis.