Bracciano

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Bracciano
Comune
Comune di Bracciano
A view of the Castello Orsini-Odescalchi.
A view of the Castello Orsini-Odescalchi.
Coat of arms of Bracciano
Coat of arms
Location of Bracciano
Map
St. Sebastian
Saint dayJanuary 20
WebsiteOfficial website
The historic center of Bracciano.

Bracciano[3] is a small town in the Italian region of Lazio, 30 kilometres (19 miles) northwest of Rome. The town is famous for its volcanic lake (Lago di Bracciano or "Sabatino", the eighth largest lake in Italy) and for a particularly well-preserved medieval castle Castello Orsini-Odescalchi. The lake is widely used for sailing and is popular with tourists; the castle has hosted a number of events, especially weddings of actors and singers.

The town is served by an urban railway (Line FR3) which connects it with Rome (stations of Ostiense and Valle Aurelia) in about 55 minutes. Close to it lie the two medieval towns of Anguillara Sabazia and Trevignano Romano.

Geography

Bracciano's territory lies on the western edge of the Sabatine Hills, a low volcanic hills range encircling Lake Bracciano.

History

There is no certain information about the origins of Bracciano, on the Via Cassia overlooking the lake.[4] It probably rose from one of the numerous towers built in the tenth century as a defence against the Saracen attacks, as implied by the ancient name of Castrum Brachiani. In the eleventh century the neighbouring territory was acquired by the Prefetti di Vico family, who turned the tower into a castle. Ferdinand Gregorovius dated the possession of Bracciano by the Orsini to 1234. The area was later acquired by the Roman hospital of Santo Spirito in Sassia and, from 1375, was a Papal possession.

In 1419 the

Virginio. In 1481 it housed Pope Sixtus IV, who had fled from the plague in Rome; the Sala Papalina in one of the corner towers commemorates the event. Four years later, however, the city and the castle were ravaged by Papal troops under Prospero Colonna
, and subsequently a new line of walls was built.

In 1494

Taddeo Zuccaro, to fresco with allegories and coats-of-arms the fortress's most prestigious room, the Sala Papalinia that had been occupied by Sixtus IV.[5] Isabella spent the remainder of her life avoiding a return to the castle, which a modern tourist tradition would have her haunting.[6]

The economy was boosted by the exploitation of sulphur and iron, the production of tapestries and paper. The latter was favoured by the construction of an aqueduct whose ruins can still be seen in the city. Bracciano in this period had some 4,500 inhabitants.

However, the expensive tenor of life of the Orsini eventually damaged the economic conditions of the city. The last great ruler was probably

Odescalchi
family still retain the castle.

In the castle, richly frescoed friezes and ceilings now contrast with blank walls, which were hung with richly coloured tapestries when the lords of Bracciano were in residence. The important late-15th century frieze showing the labours of Hercules[7] is still visible.

The castle seen from the hospital parking lot.

The main economic activities are tourism, services and agriculture. Until the twentieth century the region was notoriously unhealthy for its malaria, now eradicated; as a result, none of the fine villas were built at the water's edge, but all stood on healthier rises of ground.

Main sights

The main monument of Bracciano is its castle, Castello Orsini-Odescalchi, one of the most noteworthy examples of Renaissance military architecture in Italy.

3 km (2 mi) outside the city, alongside the road leading to Trevignano Romano, is the ancient church of San Liberato (ninth century). It occupies what was once the Roman settlement of Forum Clodii, now surrounded by an

herb garden, part of the complex of English-style gardens at the adjoining Villa San Librato, designed by Russell Page
in 1965 for the art historian conte Donato Sanminatelli and his contessa, Maria Odescalchi, and carried out over the following decade.

On the same road are the ruins of the Aquae Apollinaris, a complex of baths famous in the Roman age.

At Vigna di Valle, next to the lake, the former

Pratica di Mare
airport.

Climate

The

Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Csa" (Mediterranean climate).[9]

Climate data for Vigna di Valle (1991–2020)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 18.7
(65.7) 		19.3
(66.7) 		23.8
(74.8) 		27.2
(81.0) 		31.4
(88.5) 		36.0
(96.8) 		37.6
(99.7) 		39.8
(103.6) 		33.4
(92.1) 		28.4
(83.1) 		24.4
(75.9) 		18.8
(65.8) 		39.8
(103.6)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 10.6
(51.1) 		11.6
(52.9) 		14.4
(57.9) 		17.4
(63.3) 		21.9
(71.4) 		26.5
(79.7) 		29.7
(85.5) 		30.0
(86.0) 		25.0
(77.0) 		20.3
(68.5) 		15.2
(59.4) 		11.3
(52.3) 		19.5
(67.1)
Daily mean °C (°F) 7.5
(45.5) 		7.9
(46.2) 		10.2
(50.4) 		12.9
(55.2) 		17.2
(63.0) 		21.5
(70.7) 		24.3
(75.7) 		24.7
(76.5) 		20.4
(68.7) 		16.4
(61.5) 		12.0
(53.6) 		8.5
(47.3) 		15.3
(59.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 4.8
(40.6) 		4.7
(40.5) 		6.6
(43.9) 		8.8
(47.8) 		12.8
(55.0) 		16.8
(62.2) 		19.4
(66.9) 		20.0
(68.0) 		16.5
(61.7) 		13.2
(55.8) 		9.3
(48.7) 		5.9
(42.6) 		11.6
(52.9)
Record low °C (°F) −4.0
(24.8) 		−5.0
(23.0) 		−3.6
(25.5) 		−0.6
(30.9) 		5.1
(41.2) 		9.8
(49.6) 		11.0
(51.8) 		12.4
(54.3) 		8.7
(47.7) 		4.6
(40.3) 		0.0
(32.0) 		−4.2
(24.4) 		−5.0
(23.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 70.39
(2.77) 		68.24
(2.69) 		67.58
(2.66) 		63.63
(2.51) 		54.10
(2.13) 		31.17
(1.23) 		24.02
(0.95) 		29.06
(1.14) 		75.98
(2.99) 		126.42
(4.98) 		143.15
(5.64) 		98.70
(3.89) 		852.44
(33.56)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 7.33 6.83 6.79 6.97 6.27 3.47 2.10 2.55 5.80 7.83 10.27 8.67 74.88
Average
relative humidity
(%) 		77.47 73.62 72.67 72.80 72.00 68.59 65.19 65.93 70.92 76.87 80.34 78.34 72.89
Average dew point °C (°F) 3.80
(38.84) 		3.41
(38.14) 		5.35
(41.63) 		8.24
(46.83) 		12.08
(53.74) 		14.97
(58.95) 		16.39
(61.50) 		16.98
(62.56) 		14.97
(58.95) 		12.54
(54.57) 		8.90
(48.02) 		4.87
(40.77) 		10.21
(50.38)
Mean monthly sunshine hours 155.62 171.64 201.81 225.60 279.31 298.50 335.73 316.20 242.70 183.21 146.40 146.94 2,703.66
Source: NOAA[10]

Twin towns

Bracciano is

twinned
with

Filmography

See also

The lake as seen from Largo Falcone and Borsellino, near the castle.

Notes

  1. ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  3. ^ Bracciano is pronounced in three syllables: "Bra-CHA-no"
  4. ^ The modern history is Carla Micheli Giaccone, Bracciano e il suo castelloRome, 1990.
  5. ^ Caroline P. Murphy, Murder of a Medici Princess 2008:80f.
  6. ^ "Given that Isabella could not bear the idea of living in Bracciano when she was alive, it seems unlikely she would choose to haunt the castle dead," observes Caroline P. Murphy, Murder of a Medici Princess 2008:351.
  7. ISBN 0-19-521923-6
  8. ^ url=http://aeroweb.lucia.it/en/museums/vigna.htm Archived 2010-01-16 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ Climate Summary for Bracciano
  10. ^ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Vigna di Valle". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  11. ^ "Wolaita Sodo establishes sister city network with Bracciano". Ethiopian press agency.
  12. ^ "I Medici Masters of Florence tv series location: Castle Orsini Odescalchi in Bracciano". Archived from the original on 2019-09-25. Retrieved 2017-03-06.

External links

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Bracciano".


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