Castello Colonna
At the heart of Nettuno's medieval borgo, where the lanes narrow and the stonework thickens, the Palazzo Baronale stands as the most tangible remnant of the Colonna family's long grip on this stretch of the Lazio coast. The Colonna — one of Rome's great dynastic clans — held Nettuno from 1426 until 1594, and the buildings they left behind still anchor the old town's character.
The structure you see today owes much to Marcantonio Colonna, who in 1569 set about beautifying and expanding the castello, adding new buildings and restoring what earlier lords — including the Orsini, whose towers date to the late fourteenth century — had already raised. Layer by layer, the place became a record of competing ambitions.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who spend time in the borgo tend to notice that the Palazzo Baronale reads differently depending on where you stand — the Orsini towers feel blunt and defensive from the outside, but Marcantonio's sixteenth-century additions soften things considerably in the interior spaces. Walking the perimeter before the day-trippers arrive from Anzio gives you the walls largely to yourself.
The story behind Castello Colonna
Nettuno passed to the Colonna family in 1426, and for nearly 170 years the clan shaped the town's fortunes and its fabric. The defensive towers that still punctuate the skyline predate them — built in the late fourteenth century under Orsini rule, when control of this coastal position was worth fighting over.
When Marcantonio Colonna took an interest in 1569, the work shifted from pure defence toward something more considered: new buildings were raised, existing structures restored, and the castello given a presence that reflected the family's standing. The Colonna relinquished Nettuno in 1594, but the architecture they consolidated remained the defining core of the old town.
Good to know
The Palazzo Baronale sits inside Nettuno's walled medieval quarter, walkable from the Porto and Piazza Colonna. Mornings are quieter. The borgo itself is compact, so pair this with the nearby Santuario della Madonna delle Grazie and Forte Sangallo without needing to move the car.
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What travellers say about Castello Colonna
Beautiful Castle, in a Beautiful Place in a Beautiful Region. If I Could, I'd live there.
Historical buildings and architecture. When we visited the local school children had created a floral collage on the pavements leading to the Castello Colonna. Genezanno is a small town in the province of Rome, and the floral murals are a tradition that the town has held over many decades, and it was very impressive to see all the time and effort that went into the displays. I also have relatives who live there and we try to visit as often as possible. If you have a desire to see the real Italy, then I recommend you take a less commercial vacation and seek out venues such as this. I was suitably impressed as was my wife.
Beautiful palace in this charming town . So much history . Love Italy
Didn't expect to be not so luxurious guest rooms where more luxurious than the bedroom.
Castello plus park. Interesting landmark.
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