Orsini Palace

The visitor will not forget to enter the historic center of the town which he will reach by crossing the monumental ashlar entrance door (XVI century), beyond which, the ancient village seems to almost gather around the imposing Baronial Palace of Stimigliano, in the shadow of the Tower visible several kilometers away.

The factory was probably built on the remains of an ancient Roman villa by the sons of Giordano Orsini. The Palace consists of three main bodies with a “C” structure and an internal courtyard. It was Enrico Orsini who enlarged the building in the mid 1500s, leaving it unfinished. The large internal corridor was frescoed by the followers of Taddeo and Federico Zuccari, authors of the paintings of the Castle of Cantalupo: the paintings recall episodes of the earthly life of Joseph and Mary. A plaque commemorates the visit of the bishop of Sabina, Paleotti.

From the courtyard of the severe and elegant building, one descends into the courtyard of arms which leads to the noble chapel dedicated to the life of St. Joseph and inaugurated in 1595 as evidenced by the epigraph placed in the chapel itself.

The interior of the room is richly decorated with stuccoes and frescoes, among which it is important to remember the one depicting “The Flight into Egypt”. As recalled by a plaque on the floor, Enrico Orsini (1604) was buried inside.

In the basement of the Palace, the following inscription was found, perhaps part of a sarcophagus (I):
T. FLAVIO. T. L . ANTIOCHO
EROS ET SUIS FERERUNT
FLAVIAE T. L. APAMEAE
T. FLAVIO T. L. AMPHIONI
FLAVIAE T. L. TERTIAE
QUOD QUISQUE VESTRUM MORTUO
OPTARIT MIHI
ID ILLI EVENIAT ALWAYS ALIVE AND DEAD

In the 18th century, the Negroni Counts, the new owners of the building, made further changes to the architectural structures of their residence which remained practically unchanged even after the purchase by the Bartoli family in 1832.

Finally, it should be remembered that the “Baronial Palace of Stimigliano was for some years the seat of the Government of the Sabina Tiberina where the prelate had the title of General Dean.