Castle Map

Castle

Rocca delle Caminate

Italy · 10th century

Founded
c. 950
Heritage status
Italian national heritage
Location
Meldola
Coordinates
44.1164°, 12.00031°
Links
OpenStreetMap · Wikimedia Commons
Open on the map →Wikipedia ↗
Rocca delle Caminate in Italy
Photo: Crazyfrog58 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Description

Rocca delle Caminate is a medieval castle located in Meldola, around 7 miles (11 km) from Predappio in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. It functioned as the summer home of Benito Mussolini, who was born in Predappio.

The Rocca delle Caminate was built in the 10th century, most likely on the site of a Roman fort.

In 1927, the castle was donated to Benito Mussolini. It was then renovated by interior designer Guido Malagola Cappi. The external renovations included the addition of a lighthouse, which shone a powerful light whenever the Italian leader was present.

It was here that Mussolini, during a brief sojourn in March 1933, composed the first version of the Four-Power Pact.

It became Mussolini's summer residence in the area and he held meetings with dignitaries during World War II, such as Romanian Foreign Minister Mihai Antonescu, while staying there. The castle was also used as a site of torture, with members of the Italian resistance movement being beaten or killed there. At the end of the war, it was partly destroyed by Allied troops in search of treasure, with the rest of the furniture being removed by locals.

Following the war and Mussolini's death, his widow Rachele made efforts to sell the castle.

Calls have been made for the castle's lighthouse to be restored to attract visitors, and Meldola mayor Gian Luca Zattini suggested parts of the castle be converted into a restaurant. The project was approved by the local government in 2017, but some critics suggested it could become a pilgrimage point for modern Fascists and seen as a celebration of Mussolini.

Text adapted from “Rocca delle Caminate” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

In the rankings

Rocca delle Caminate ranks #4,844 of 9,902 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #354 of the 624 mapped in Italy. Founded c. 950, it is older than 93% of the atlas's dated landmarks, one of 206 atlas entries founded in the 10th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 2,332 times in the last 60 days, more than 76% of the atlas. 2 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Bologna, 67 km away. See how Italy compares in the castle statistics.

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