The complex of Ruspoli palace in Vignanello began as a fortified castle in the ninth century by Benedictine monks and had a square plan with four towers and a moat.
It had its first major transformation in 1280, the time of Pope Nicholas III and the Prefects Di Vico.
Like many defensive structures, in the early sixteenth century it was transformed by Beatrice Farnese and son Sforza Marescotti into the palace designed by Sangallo.
In 1569 the palace was expanded by creating a connection wing, occupying a former courtyard, designed by Vignola.
A family tree painted inside illustrates how the Marescotti family is descended from one of the commanders of Charlemagne who was of the Scottish royal house of Douglas and Count of Gallivaglia. The building is adorned with frescoes and inside there are paintings and portraits of various ages of the characters that have shaped the history of the building.
The two access gates to the castle leading to the main square and into a marvelous Italian garden ordered in 1611 by Ottavia Orsini, daughter of Giulia Farnese and di Vicino, creator of the Sacred Wood of Bomarzo.
The garden is divided into several sections: the Garden of Italian boxwood hedges that form squares, avenues divided into twelve parts with hedges formed by laurel, cherry laurel, viburnum, vat and boxwood.
The secret garden with tunnels and caves still largely unexplored and, at a lower level, the Barchetto (small Barco) and Barco (walled park with wild animals) that were used for hunting.
The castle is one of the most beautiful monuments of the Lazio.
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