Lookout Nr2
More Info:
Standing on the wild Northern border of the Marche region, this is one of the most dramatic castles in the whole of the region. Its reputation for being impregnable is perhaps more to do with its exceptional natural position atop a soaring rocky spur than its construction.
The castle is almost certainly of Lombard origin, though its present appearance, dating from around 1470, is the work of Francesco di Giorgio Martini. He had been commissioned by Federico da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino, to strengthen the castle as part of a series of works to defend the further reaches of his territory and this was among the earliest of many commissions which the great Sienese military architect carried out for the Duke.
The fortress is in two distinct parts. The north-eastern front, which defends the approach to the castle, is entirely the work of Francesco di Giorgio Martini and comprises a long wall, held at each end by two low round towers with escarpment walls, topped with corbels and machicolations.
Behind it is the fortress itself which stands on the top of a rocky pinnacle. It pre-dates Martini's frontage and takes its architectural shape from the natural formation of the rock.