Off the beaten track in Rome- Bracciano, Italy

 

The story goes that she invited lovers to her chamber deep into the night, and then sent them on their way through a secret passage that led to a trap door. The unaware suitors then plunged to their death into a well filled with blades, never to be seen or heard again.

Them she was caught and supposedly put to death.

Sounds gruesome right?

Turns out none of this was true. The alleged ‘blade’ pit was possibly a waste pit and the secret passage led to an underground water reservoir in case a swift evacuation was needed.

“Someone must have truly hated Isabella to have spread such vile rumors after her death’, I remarked.

‘All powerful women were hated in those days’, the guide taking us through the majestic Ordisini castle in Bracciano put it simply, 

Such a simple but powerful statement.

As we made our way down the Hashburg Empire all the way from Karlshtein in Czech Republic to Bracciano just outside of Rome, the lack of women’s representation was pretty glaring. Yet the most powerful and successful ruler of the mighty Hashburg Empire was a female – Empress Maria Theresa.

Coming back to Isabella, she was the daughter of the most powerful non royal family in the world – The Medici family. They arguably continue to be the most powerful non royal family and the second most powerful family in the world history till date. Medici family and Renaissance are synonyms. They ushered, nurtured and patronized all the maestros that we revere today, who unarguably changed the face of modern art and cultural trends.

Isabella was married to the powerful Paolo Giordano I Orsini, the first Duke of Braccianno. Her husband’s long absences, and her spirited nature possibly brought her close to her husband’s cousin Troilo Orsini. Legend goes that she was subsequently murdered after her father died by her despotic brother and the slighted husband. 

Isabella enjoyed a lot of freedom under her father Cosimo I. Her marriage though politically a beneficial one for her family, was an unhappy one. She stayed in Florence and handled the affairs of the powerful Dukedom as the lady of the house. While her husband stayed in Bracianno with his mistresses, she led a separate life of her own, promoting Art and literature in the exalted world of Renaissance. Her father adored her and indulged her throughout his life. She was truly his princess and so secure was she under his patronage that she led a marvelously enriching life. She fell in love with Troilo Orsini, her husband’s handsome and gentle cousin. So convinced was she of her security in the Medici family that she did see the dangers lurking over the horizon in her own family.

 

Once her father died, her brother, who was a despot, did not see kindly to the freedoms that the women in his family enjoyed. He tacitly approved the murders of Isabella, as well as Leonora (his mentally unstable brother Pietro’s wife), who also enjoyed the same kind of freedom under Cosimo with Isabella, partly because he saw their relationships with other men as dishonorable, despite the fact that the husbands were openly neglectful and disrespectful to the wives.

There are some historians who now dispute the entire tale, putting forth a theory that Isabella died of natural causes, and that the stories about her murder was a malicious rumour spread by Medici enemies.

We might never know.

Despite the morbid tales, an important image stuck in my mind that tells the tale of the lives of womenfolk living in the castle. The men were away at wars. The women were the ones who took care of everything. There is a room in the castle that has impressive frescos of women depicted in their daily lives. Some of those tell stories of courage, resilience, strength and skills. These women, going about their everyday life, told powerful tale.

 

The Orsini-Odescalchi castle tells of many such tales and stands tall, hiding millions of little secrets, witness to joys and sorrows of its inhabitants, and letting out titbits of juicy details through its medieval walls.

The kitchens are quite impressive and apparently still in use. But what impressed me was a Toilet….that held a chamber pot.

I hope the Duke did not receive audience while sitting on this ‘throne’…

 

A mirror from the times when mirror did not exist.

The beautifully preserved Castello Orsini-Odescalchi castle is 3 km (approximately 1.8 miles) from the Bracciano town which is 30 km away from Rome. It is located on the southern shore of the volcanic lake Bracciano or Lago Bracciano.

 

Of course, Bracciano was never the same again once Napoleon Bonaparte invaded it. That pesky little guy. The one who turned the world on its head and changed things forever to come.

Fun fact: Tom Cruise got married to Katie Holmes in this castle.

We headed out to the town, hungry after an intensive lesson in medieval Italian history. The lakeside is beautiful. We walked into this pretty restaurant called Galeon and had a hearty Italian meal.

 

 

 

Yumm.