Burghiciani and Sangregoriani

San Gregorio da Sassola is a place that you definitely cannot miss! It is just 20 minutes by car from Tivoli along a scenic road overlooking Rome and surrounded by olive trees. Once you arrive, you will immediately find out how peculiar the village is! The Castello Brancaccio dominates and divides the historic center of San Gregorio da Sassola into two parts. The medieval area sits atop a tufa cliff in the lower part; the other, built in the 17th century, is located in a limestone area in the upper section. The wonderful side of it is that the municipal park is an actual forest of centuries-old holm oaks. A walk through the park takes you to Piazza Brancaccio, also known as “Piazza Padella” due to its elliptical shape. You are now in the heart of Borgo Pio, built at the behest of Cardinal Pio di Savoia. The “good prince” was much loved by the people, especially for having restored the village after the terrible plague of 1656. The beautiful castle greets you as you step inside a medieval village made up of stone-masonry houses and narrow streets. Keep in mind that the “Burghiciani”, the inhabitants of Borgo Pio native to other villages, have struggled for centuries to assimilate into the society of San Gregorio! A nursery rhyme is still used today by the latter to make fun of the “newcomers”: “Burghicianu della rocca – s’ha magnata la ficoracotta – mezza cruda e mezza cotta Burghicianu della rocca”!

The charm of castles is beyond words; they change their look according to the historical period and the families who own them. The Castello Brancaccio is no exception as it has been property of many owners over the centuries, and its appearance has also changed over time. During the Middle Ages, the building became a bone of contention between the Colonna and the Orsini families. In the 16th century, it passed into the ownership of Cardinal Prospero Publicola Santa Croce. Brilliant diplomat and tobacco magnate (“Erba Santacroce” as the plant was called at the time), he was hated so much for his cruelty that the people of San Gregorio tried to kill him! The castle was then owned by the Conti, Barberini, Savoia and Brancaccio families. In the 1990s, the ownership passed eventually to the Municipality, which after a partnership with an international company is transforming the building into a prestigious hotel! If you want to feel like the protagonist of a fairy tale, walk through the door and make history!