Castello dell'Abbadia

The Castle of the Abbazia (or Vulci Castle), near Canino in the province of Viterbo, was built to guard a striking Etruscan-Roman bridge (called the “Rainbow” or “Devil’s” Bridge) from the 3rd century BC. The bridge rises 30 meters above the Fiora River.

Originally a Benedictine abbey dedicated to Saint Mamilian, the castle stood in a strategic zone between the Papal States and the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, making it highly contested. From the 12th century onward, the Aldobrandeschi, the city of Orvieto, and the Prefects of Vico fought over it, gradually transforming it into a fortified trapezoidal castle with a watchtower.

In 1430 it became a fief of Ranuccio Farnese the Elder, and in 1513 Cardinal Alessandro Farnese—future Pope Paul III—received it for life and renovated it extensively. In 1537 the complex was included in the Duchy of Castro and returned to the Papal States in 1649 after Castro’s destruction.

During the Napoleonic era it was assigned to Lucien Bonaparte, later passed to the Torlonia family, and in the 19th century served as a papal customs post. After years of neglect it was taken over by the Italian state and became the National Archaeological Museum of Vulci.

Address
Montalto di Castro, Italy

Established
12th century