Palica Palace

At the beginning of Via Montecavallo in Toffia, going up towards the church of St. Maria Nova, you can admire the elegant eighteenth-century Palazzo Palica (Palica Palace) – then Castellani Brancaleoni, and today belonging to several owners – which gives rise to the noblest zone of the country, characterized by a series of beautiful palaces built between the ‘600 and’ 700 on the axis of Toffia main road: on the basis of massive medieval buildings, the austere sixteenth-century palaces visible in via di Porta Maggiore, are now replaced by elegant and airy buildings, where travertines give way to plasters.

Some of the entrances you can find on the way were reserved to the stables, and dedicatated to carts and horses warehouse. Right under one of them there is still an ancient oil wheel. On the facade, two small heads carved in marble were collected – Roman origin, and today stolen.

In the back of the building, shared with the neighboring house Orsini, a charming (and rare in a city center) large garden once used as vineyard is today framework of concerts, shows and theater representation during the event Riviviamo il Centro Storico (“Let’s relive the Old Town”)

The Palace, together with the others on Via Montecavallo, was recently submitted to a facedes renovation action, trhough a combined intervention by the Town of Toffia and the Lazio Region Superintendence.