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Palazzo Fusaro, former castle of the di Vico family in Caprarola: from fortress to Town Hall
Palazzo Fusaro stands in the centre of Caprarola, along the famous Via Diritta leading to Palazzo Farnese. Today it is a building with a rusticated portal and a pillar loggia in the attic, but in the 13th century it was a defensive fortress of the Prefetti di Vico — one of the most powerful families in Tuscia. Its history is marked by destructions, reconstructions, and changes of ownership that indicate centuries of struggles for control of the territory.
A fortress destroyed multiple times
The fortress had a turbulent life. In 1352, Cardinal Albornoz destroyed it to take it from the Prefetti. Rebuilt with round towers, it was set on fire again in 1435 by Cardinal Vitelleschi, who was determined to restore papal authority in the area.
Via Diritta
The radical transformation came in the second half of the 16th century. The construction of Via Diritta split the fortified complex into two blocks: one facing the Fornella district, the other facing Piazza Sicilia. Cardinal Alessandro Farnese turned the latter into the current palace, using it as a Chancellery — his coat of arms is still carved above the main entrance. At the end of the 18th century, the Bourbons, who had succeeded the Farnese, passed it on to the Frizzotti family, who opened a pharmacy there, which remained active even after the palace had been transferred, by inheritance, to the Fusaro family.
What can be seen today
Inside, ancient traces remain: a spiral staircase in the tower, a kitchen, two flush toilets, and vast underground chambers.
