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Castello
della Rancia
Castello
della Rancia”, Tolentino, owes its name to the adaptation of the French
term grange, granary.
The castle, wanted by Rodolfo II da Varano, lord of
Camerino, was built on an existing Cistercian building used by the monks
as a grain storage.
The works
lasted from 1353 and 1357. Andrea Beltrami from Como was in charge of the
project.
The
building is characterized by crenellated walls and machicolations. It is
surrounded by a moat now crossed by a masonry bridge.
The
castle presents Ghibelline merlons and a two storey ravelin with wolf
mouth loopholes.
Several characteristic features can be admired on the
yard and from the two porches.
On the first floor you will admire the most
interesting architectonical setting. It is in fact characterized by a
ribbed vault and a large fireplace.
The castle was the place of several
battles until it was purchased by the Jesuits in 1581. They added a chapel.
Three centuries later Napoleon’s brother in law, Gioacchino Murat was
defeated by the Austrian army in a battle that is nowadays conceived as
the first for the Italian Independence.
The castle was then among the
Giustiniani Baldini possessions and it was turned into a country house.
It
was then purchased by the town of Tolentino
in 1975. After a long
restoration it was opened to the public.
You can visit the Museo Civico
Archeologico “Aristide Gentiloni Silverj” there. It keeps important
Roman and Piceni findings.
In the large rooms of the second and third
floor important temporary exhibitions are held.
La
Rancia castle offers a perfect setting for events such as the historical
pageant of the 1815 battle.
Sponsored
by
Comune di Tolentino
The
Historical Pageant of the 1815 battle.
“Each
man is history and each story is part of men”. This ancient adagio seems
to be perfect for the organizers of the historical pageant of the 1815
Tolentino battle.
It
is considered one of the first battles fought for the Italian independence
by many historians. Every first weekend of May the facts that featured
Gioacchino Murat and the Baron Federico Bianchi are revived against the
ancient towering castle.
The
two leaders fought for two days lining up the troups with incredible wit.
The battle was firce and cruel at times. A lot of people were injured or
died on the battle field. Murat was then misled by a false information and
lined the troups without the support of the knight and that was the
beginning of his defeat.
More
than five hundred people feature in the pageant. They come from all over
Europe and set up their camps in front of the castle. On one side you will
see the Austrian group and on the other the French-Neapolitan one. Jump
back in time strolling about the small tents, faithful to the Nineteenth
century ones, seizing aspects of the soldiers’ everyday life. It will be
an unforgettable experience.
It
does seem to be back in 1815 and to live again that battle. You will
experience the
soldiers’
mood while intent in getting their weapons ready with meticulous care
It is a timeless moment seeing them making their cartridges ready. The
performers will struck you with their passion so that you will understand
what is the propelling force of such historical pageants. The experience
gets fascinating when the battle begins and the air is filled with the
crackling guns, drum rolls and the knights charges.
Everyone
goes to Tolentino on the gently sloping land from the castle to the river
to admire this event and get the feel of what they have often read in
history books.
Historical
pageants are a pleasant leisure and cultural moment and do attract a lot
of guests, tourists and visitators. They offer a ticket for a trip back in
time.
Reviving
history also means promoting a place’s historical heritage and its
traditions and arts.
by Marion Grazioli
Translated by Guendalina Santini
for Paradise Possible
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