Rancia’s Castle of Tolentino with kids

This castle is strange, very strange: it has everything a castle should have, drawbridge, battlements atop the towers, the keep, the well, the torture chamber .. but it is not built at the top of a mountain, but in the plain! And how could they defend themselves?

The Rancia castle owes its name to the fact that perhaps initially was built to house a “grange”, a grain storage, and was used by the Cistercian monks of the Abbey of Fiastra. Rodolfo da Varano II between 1353 and 1357 turned it into a fortress but in 1581 it underwent a new transformation and became a farmhouse used as the hospitality of pilgrims.

Castello della Rancia, camminamento di ronda.

Castello della Rancia, camminamento di ronda.

 

Opening hours >>

May – September
Closed on monday
From thuesday to sunday: 10.30-18.30

October – April
Closed on monday and tuesday
Wednsday, thursday: 14.00-18.00
Friday to sunday: 10.00-18.00

More info here www.tolentinomusei.it

Castello della Rancia, ingresso visto dal mastio.

Castello della Rancia

Castello della Rancia, ingresso

Castello della Rancia, main entrance

Today, the castle can be visited in every corner, hosts concerts and exhibitions and is very easy to get along the SS 16 towards Tolentino. The only impediments are maybe many stairs! Going up and down to gain access to the towers rather than large rooms where meals are served two museums can to deter families with very young children.

Inside, two archaeological museums are very interesting and, for the happiness of the youngest, in some room you can find models reproducing the battles fought in the neighborhood as the famous battle of Tolentino in 1815 between the troops of Murat and Austrian troops.

HOT TO GET THERE:

Follow route SS 77 direction of Tolentino, province of Macerata.

Vista dal mastio

The great tower

Su per le scale del mastio!

Up and down

Modellino della battaglia

Battle

Castello della Rancia, panorama dal mastio.

Castello della Rancia