Descrizione
As soon as we arrive in Sassocorvaro, the Rocca stands out imposingly before us, tall and majestic. But it is only from a bird’s-eye view that it reveals its secret nature. From above, in fact, the Rocca takes on a shape reminiscent of a tortoise’s body.
The connection between the animal’s solid shell and the building’s defensive function is immediate. Yet beneath the rough carapace lies a living being. This is the key to truly understanding the Rocca. Designed by Francesco di Giorgio Martini, its curved forms represent an unprecedented innovation, conceived in this way to defend the Rocca from bombardment.
Yet, in his Treatise, Martini never acknowledged the Rocca. Why? Admittedly, as an early and revolutionary work, the Rocca had inevitable limitations. But there was more to it than that. The fact is that Martini did not really feel it was his own. It was, in fact, Ottaviano degli Ubaldini who oversaw the building’s construction, leaving his unmistakable mark on it.
A master of esotericism, astrology and alchemy, for Ottaviano the Rocca became a book of stone, into which he engraved his knowledge, in a language comprehensible only to the initiated.
A book of stone concealing ancient wisdom
The entire architecture resonates with mystery; even the smallest detail points to a symbolic meaning. Once through the entrance, one follows an ascending path which leads from the light-filled inner courtyard up towards the central tower, from which the interior rooms branch out. It is a journey of initiation.
Wandering through the Rocca means learning and solving riddles. Countless forks in the path lie ahead, and esoteric symbols appear on the lintels of the doors. Flowing friezes end in convex, welcoming shapes: the room is accessible to women too. Others end in a point, piercing the space: only men may enter.
A great deal of space is devoted to art, with an art gallery featuring local artists and a delightful little theatre carved out of the ancient Salone Maggiore. Preserving art seems to be the Rocca’s inescapable destiny; during the Second World War, it became a refuge for paintings from all over Italy, brought here by Pasquale Rotondi, an art historian and hero, who saved them from the fury of the conflict. Reproductions of these works are housed in the Rocca, as a lasting tribute to Rotondi’s feat.
