Short itinerary in the fortress of Gradara

Gradara is located in an area of great environmental interest, as it is not far from the hills of Montefeltro and the sea of the Adriatic coast. But what this Marche village is best known for is its fortress, very well preserved, surrounded by two orders of walls and a moat that has never been filled with water. After crossing the drawbridge you reach the internal courtyard. A small window with a Latin inscription is visible here. It overlooked the dungeons and let the cries of the tortured prisoners pass, so that everyone would be frightened and thus forced to behave in a righteous way towards the lord of the castle. Among the frescoes that adorn the internal rooms there is one that is said to depict Lucrezia Borgia. The most visited room is the one in which it is said that Paolo and Francesca, the unfortunate lovers sung by Dante Alighieri in his Inferno, were killed. One of the most notable works, however, is the altarpiece by Andrea della Robbia from 1484, in glazed terracotta, made up of 48 pieces, which depicts the Madonna with Child and Saints.