Rocca Monaldeschi della Cervara (Italy)
Lazio See list of castles in Italia
The first information about Rocca Monaldeschi della Cervara date back to 1156 when Adrian IV, in view of the raids of Barbarossa, had he fortified centers on the Via Cassia. Even in Bolsena was provided to build the walls and along with them was built the main tower of the present fortress.
In 1295 the Orvietani reasserted their dominance of Bolsena through the Monaldeschi family, and they provided the restoration of the walls and the building of three more towers.
Afterwards, always under the Monaldeschi, they were executed several renovations that transformed the castle from a stately home fortress.
During the sixteenth century Bolsena (and even the fortress) was sacked and burned by Lanzichenecchi. Later, under Governor Tiberio Crispo, they were undertaken other development works of the building.
In 1602 the fortress was granted to Cardinal Sanesio (bishop of Orvieto) as long as you look after the maintenance of the building.
During the seventeenth century, the fortress was used as a prison and a warehouse.
Nell 'April of 1990 were inaugurated the premises of the museum with an exhibition of the remains of the town of Villanova "Big Dipper" and the section devoted to fishing, while in May 1991 the entire museum was officially opened with the completion of other planned sections and with the staging of the Volsinii excavations room by the French School of Rome.
In the early seventies a city committee undertook the first excavations in the lower hall for the recovery of the monument; on that occasion it was found and excavated the "throw" Medieval behind the main tower. In the early eighties they took shape the jobs of permanent restructuring of the fortress in view of its destination museum.
Nell 'April of 1990 were inaugurated the premises of the museum with an exhibition of the remains of the town of Villanova "Big Dipper" and the section devoted to fishing, while in May 1991 the entire museum was officially opened with the completion of other planned sections and with the staging of the Volsinii excavations room by the French School of Rome.
In October of 1973, during the work of recovery and restoration of the fortress, it came to light a throw housed in a trap door at the base of the main tower. In this corner of the fortress, used as a garbage dump by the second half of the fourteenth century to the early eighteenth century, were found hundreds of pottery fragments and many vessels intact (mugs, plates, bowls, pots), along with other objects such as knives, nails or of the door hinges.
The oldest part of the ceramics found there dates back to the last decades of 1300 and can be attributed to Orvieto and Viterbo workshops. From a later period finds it can be assumed that Bolsena, between the fourteenth and sixteenth century, produced some ceramic types on their own, at the same time by importing from other 'Umbria, Tuscany and Rome.