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Bracciano

Description

Situated in a dominant position on Lake (aka Lake Sabatino), Bracciano is a town in the province of Rome, whose territory has been inhabited since Etruscan times, as evidenced by the numerous archaeological finds brought to light. The urban settlement, however, dates back to medieval times and is mentioned for the first time in documented sources in 1234 as "castrum Brachiani", which means, therefore, that era came to him already as a fortified town. It belonged to the Prefects of Vico until the XIV century, while in the XV, it passed to the Orsini, who held the estate until 1696 when, because of adverse economic conditions and many of the debts incurred by the family, were obliged to sale it to the Odescalchi, who ruled till 1803 when, for the same difficulties, were forced to sell it to the Marquis of Torlonia, with an additional contract attested, of buying it back as soon as they had the possibility. That happened shortly thereafter, in 1848, after the marriage to Livy III with the rich Polish Princess Sofia Branicka.

Sites of Interest:
- Aqueduct of Trajan, the last of the aqueducts that supplied Rome, about 57km long;
- the nostrils of Vicarello Terme Apollo;
- the remains of the walls of the castrum Brachiani;
- Castle Orsini-Odescalchi, whose earliest records date back to 1234 when ownership of the Prefects of Vico, was little more than a fortress. The current appearance is due to Baron Napoleone Orsini (1470), while his son, Virginio, he commissioned the artists of the school Antoniazzo Romano to paint the rooms. It was the seat of cultural circles and hosted illustrious men of the past and the towers you can enjoy an incomparable view of Lake Bracciano. It is still family owned Odescalchi, which gives a guided tour;
- the Cathedral of St. Stephen, in Baroque style, is the result of continuous additions have occurred over the centuries that led to a small and modest medieval chapel to become a religious building majestic and solemn. Inside is a painting of James Zoboli, won by Count Orsini, which is the stoning of St. Stephen, with a small detail: the lake that you see in the background is not to Tiberias, but the lake of Bracciano;
- the Church of Santa Maria del Rest, a central plan with two side chapels, built on an existing chapel. Inside are preserved a series of famous frescoes;
- the Church of Mercy (XVI century);
- the Baroque Church of the Visitation;
- the superb Church of San Lorenzo in Pisciarelli, a single nave plan building with four side chapels, in which houses an XVIII century fresco of the painter Vincent Strigelli of Viterbo, and paintings of the Roman School of Art;
- the Fountain, built in 1511, in which is conveyed the water of a natural spring;
- Castel Giuliano, whose current structure is due to the renovations completed in the XVIII century by the architect Sebastiano Cipriani;
- the Belvedere della Sentinella, which offers a splendid panorama of the lake and surrounding land, but had been built, at the time, for defensive purposes;
- the Regional Park-Martignano Bracciano;
- the Civic Museum, situated in the former Convent of Santa Maria Novella (XV century) preserves relics and valuable works of art ranging from the Etruscan period to the XIX century.

Photo By IZABELA & JACEK

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