Palo Castle
The Castle of Palo or the Castello di Palo is a medieval fort located in Palo in the Ladispoli municipality. The castle is today owned by the Odescalchi family. The castle stands overlooking the sea where in the ancient time the Etruscan town Alsuim had once stood. The castle had originally been built for defense and the manor is the only structure which is fortified along with the Flavia tower which had been built during the 16th century as a watchtower. The manor itself is imposing and large and still in good condition. A beautiful dense forest surrounds the castle in an area of around 140 hectares.
The History of the Castle
The castle dates back to the year 1500 when it was built on the site of an older medieval castle which had been called Palus because of the extensive swamps which was present in the surrounding areas. Several important people had stayed in the castle over the centuries like Flavio Orsini, Pope Sixtus V, Pope Paul III, Felice della Rovere Orsini, Pope Alexander VI and Francesco Orsini.
After the castle had been purchased by the Odescalchi family it was sold to the Duke of Genoa and later to marquis Carlo Loffredo from Trevio. However, in the year 1870 the castle was again returned to the Odescalchi family. The castle remained with the family since then and the family took to the cause of restoring the castle and using it for the interest of the locals. The castle was rented to local merchants who recruited field cowboys and local peasants.
WikipediaWebsite:https://castellodescalchi.com/
