Castello Bufalini

About the museum

The castle began as a military fortress of the Ghibelline Dotti family of Sansepolcro. After the Battle of Anghiari, in 1440, it became an outpost defending the territory of Città di Castello, and it was destroyed at the end of the 15th century by order of the Florentine Republic. Passed in 1487 to Niccolò di Manno Bufalini, it was rebuilt to a design by Mariano Savelli and following the guidance of Giovanni and Camillo Vitelli, taking on the appearance of a fortress with an irregular square plan, four corner towers and a wide moat.

From the 1530s, at the wish of Giulio I Bufalini and his brother Ventura, the fortress was transformed into a noble residence; the design of the palazzo is due to Nanni Unghero, of the circle of the Sangallo. At the end of the 17th century Giovanni Ventura Borghesi remodelled it as a country villa with an Italian-style garden, and in the 18th century the building was enriched with stuccoes and painted cycles.

In 1989 the castle was acquired by the State property office (demanio dello Stato), and today it is a rare example of an almost intact noble residence, with much of its historical furnishing. The route includes the panoramic loggia, the rooms painted by Cristofano Gherardi in the first half of the 16th century, the Stanza degli Stucchi with the “donne forti” (strong women) and the bedroom of Cardinal Giovanni Ottavio Bufalini. The garden includes a rose garden, a plant gallery, a ragnaia (a traditional bird-netting grove), fountains, an orchard and a labyrinth.

Highlights

• Rooms painted by Cristofano Gherardi
• Panoramic loggia
• Stanza degli Stucchi with the “donne forti” (strong women)
• Furniture, tapestries and majolica tableware
• Italian-style garden with labyrinth, rose garden and ragnaia

Permanent exhibition

• Dimora storica dei Bufalini – Route through the rooms painted by Cristofano Gherardi, the halls with furniture, tapestries and majolica tableware, and the Italian-style garden.

Operated by

Direzione regionale Musei nazionali Umbria (Ministero della Cultura)

Visitors per year

approx. 10,814

Admission & discounts

The ticket in force during the works allows a visit to the master apartment of the main tower, the Sala degli Dei (Hall of the Gods) and the Italian-style garden. The reductions provided for by the admission rules of state cultural sites apply; tickets can only be paid for electronically.

Accessibility

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Getting there & parking

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Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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