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Palazzo Orsini in Toffia: the 15th-Century Noble Palace That Is Today the Town Hall
Palazzo Orsini is the largest building in the historic centre of Toffia, a village in the Sabine Mountains overlooking the Farfa valley. It stands on Via di Porta Maggiore, seat of the local council. It was built by the Orsini family in the 15th century, and to this day remains the most visible sign of the rivalry between the Orsini and the Colonna — the former lords of the lower part of the town, the latter of the upper.
A Question of Power
Toffia was founded around 930, and came under the control of the Abbey of Farfa, but in the late Middle Ages it passed into the hands of the great Roman families. The Orsini held the Farfa commenda until the early 16th century — several of their abbots oversaw the monastery — and the palace coincides with the eastwards expansion of the town. It was here that the Porta Maggiore and a new ring of walls was built, welding together the urban fabric. It is said that the palace was donated to the community by Napoleone Orsini, together with the Monte degli Elci area, as well as woodcutting rights for the inhabitants.
The Details to Look For
The façade features travertine Guelph cross windows, and a loggia that originally had four arched bays on columns, of which three remain. Ascending to the piano nobile — now the council chamber — there is a large central fireplace, a cross window with lateral stone seats, and two doorways surmounted by lintels with the marble Orsini coat of arms at the centre.
