History
Rocca delle Caminate over the centuries
Studies carried out over the years place the origins of Rocca delle Caminate around the year 1000. The castle may have been built on a pre-existing village or Roman fortress site. Several hypotheses have been made on the origin of its name: one links it to a wall walk (“camminata”) behind the crenellations, while another refers to the existence of rooms equipped with fireplaces (“camini”). The most evocative one would connect the origin of the name to the existence of furnaces with their own chimneys (“camini”), used in the surrounding area to produce building lime from local limestone rock called “spungone”. Be it as it may, the name “Rigone Caminate” appears in official acts as early as 1177.
The castle, fully refurbished, was then used by Mussolini as a summer residence, but also hosted events and meetings attended by heads of state, ambassadors and authorities. On 28 September 1943, the castle hosted the first meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Social Republic, with the presence of Mussolini. A wide space was reserved within the building for the collection of memorabilia and gifts, and to make the structure ever more visible, a tricolour lighthouse was installed on the tower. With the power of 8000 candles, the lighthouse could be seen from a distance of over 50 kilometres. The adjacent barracks, which housed the guards, is sadly known as a place of imprisonment and torture during the Italian Resistance.