Mancini Castle

The Mancini Castle stands imposingly on the top of a hill, overlooking the valley below with a vast panorama. Surrounded by a large park, populated by centuries-old trees - pines, oaks, beeches - and adorned with elegant rose gardens, hedges, and seasonal blooms, the castle appears as a timeless refuge where nature and architecture converse in perfect harmony. Built in brick at the beginning of the twentieth century in the medieval revival style, the building features the austere elegance of period fortifications, with crenellated towers, machicolations, and mullioned windows that punctuate its facades. The construction is spread over four above-ground levels, two underground floors, and two square crenellated towers that rise beside the main body. Within the park, almost completing this small, collected and evocative world, there is also a charming little church. The main entrance leads to a large central hall, dominated by a scenic staircase that leads to the upper floors. Here one can still breathe the atmosphere of receptions and social occasions of the past: to the right opens a large hall with a fireplace, ideal for parties and banquets, connected to a dining room and the kitchen, while to the left are rooms intended for study, conversation, and private offices, with bathrooms and service stairs connecting all levels of the manor. The memory of the ancient defensive function is not lacking: at the end of the entrance hall there is the door that was once the main access with a drawbridge and moat, today only partially walled up. On the upper floors develops the residential part, articulated in large hallways, bedrooms, kitchens, and numerous halls with fireplaces that confer warmth and solemnity. Particularly suggestive is the second floor, which offers direct access to the towers and the large terrace on the third level: an extraordinary panoramic terrace bordered by battlements, from which the view can sweep unimpeded over the valley and surrounding hills. From the walkways, access is finally gained to the towers, with small terraces that constitute the last habitable level. Below the ground floor are two underground floors: the first used as cellars, the second for the ancient caves, one of which extends until it emerges outside the hill, like a secret medieval passage. The Mancini Castle, with its architectural grandeur and time-suspended atmosphere, is not just a dwelling, but a place that tells a story: that of the romantic dream of reviving medieval suggestions, transformed into a representative residence of timeless charm. The current state of the castle is uninhabitable, which does not allow its use; it therefore needs renovation and consolidation work.