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Oddoni House in Toffia: the bishop's palace that conceals a boundary
Strolling through the village of Toffia, just beyond the town hall, the eye is drawn to a particular building. This is Casa degli Oddoni Toffia, a late medieval residence whose façade features elegant Guelph cross-shaped windows and a stone portal typical of the Sabina region. A detail with centuries of history behind it.
The signature of a bishop
The building was commissioned by the Oddoni family, and in particular by "Oddone degli Oddoni", who became Bishop of Boiano in Abruzzo. His prestige can be recognised by the elegant 15th century Guelph cross windows on the main façade. This detail is repeated at the rear of the house, along Via delle Scalette. A mark of prestige and power.
A boundary you cannot see
But the true secret lies in the plasterwork. If one looks closely, one can make out geometric decorations in relief. These are not merely decorative, but rather ancient boundary markers that once delimited different properties. A fresco of the Mater Dolorosa (Mother of Sorrows), now lost, was once visible in a niche.
The building is privately owned, and can only be viewed from the outside, along Via di Porta Maggiore.
