The sixteenth century Farnese palace of Gradoli was commissioned by Pope Paul III to Antonio da Sangallo the Younger in place of a castle that had fallen into ruin.
It is one of the towering fortress-palaces of the Farnese family scattered around Italy and was a summer residence of Pope Paul III.
In 1649, after the fall of the Duchy of Castro and the decline of the Farnese, the palace passed to the Holy See who made a convent for the Filippini Fathers.
The Filippini introduced some minor changes.
In 1911, it was purchased by the city of Gradoli and was a school, a health center and a home for local associations and clubs.
Since 1919 it has also been the town hall and now houses the archive with the National Centre for Studies of the Farnese family and a permanent museum.
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