The Frangipane castle, also called Rocca Traversa, dominates the upper town of Terracina. It was built in several phases from the end of the tenth century, when southern Lazio filled with castles, on a base of rectangular Roman blocks, in a strategic position over the plain below. It was further fortified by the powerful Roman Frangipane family, who received Terracina as a fief from Pope Celestine II in 1143.
What to see
The people of Terracina's struggle against the Frangipane's abuses ended in 1202 with their expulsion and the birth of communal institutions: hence the town's special bond with its castle. The last extensions date from the fifteenth century. In 1797 Pope Pius VI had it disarmed, moving the defences to a new fortress in the lower town, set aside for the town's expansion; from then on the fortress served as a monastery and a care home.
The castle was badly damaged by bombing in the Second World War.
Visiting
Access and opening times should be checked before visiting.
Our editors' tip
The 1996 restoration grew out of a popular initiative: a sign of the bond between the people of Terracina and the castle from which, in 1202, they drove out the Frangipane.
