Bracciano

Bracciano
Comune
Comune di Bracciano
A view of the Castello Orsini-Odescalchi
Coat of arms
Bracciano Location of Bracciano in Italy Show map of Italy Bracciano Bracciano (Lazio) Show map of Lazio
Coordinates: 42°06′N12°11′E / 42.100°N 12.183°E / 42.100; 12.183
Country	Italy
Region	Lazio
Metropolitan city	Rome (RM)
Frazioni	Castel Giuliano, Pisciarelli, Sambuco, Vicarello, Vigna di Valle
Government
• Mayor	Marco Crocicchi
Area [1]
• Total	143.06 km2 (55.24 sq mi)
Elevation	280 m (920 ft)
Population  (1 January 2024) [2]
• Total	18,516 [3]
• Density	129.43/km2 (335.22/sq mi)
Demonym	Braccianesi
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	00062
Dialing code	06
Patron saint	St. Sebastian
Saint day	January 20
Website	Official website

The historic center of Bracciano

Bracciano ^[4] is a small town in the Italian region of Lazio, 30 kilometres (19 miles) northwest of Rome. The town is famous for its volcanic lake (Lake Bracciano or "Sabatino", the eighth largest lake in Italy) and for a particularly well-preserved medieval castle Castello Orsini-Odescalchi. The lake is widely used for sailing and is popular with tourists; the castle has hosted a number of events, especially weddings of actors and singers.

The town is served by an urban railway (Line FR3) which connects it with Rome (stations of Ostiense and Valle Aurelia) in about 55 minutes. Close to it lie the two medieval towns of Anguillara Sabazia and Trevignano Romano.

Geography

Bracciano's territory lies on the western edge of the Sabatine Hills, a low volcanic hills range encircling Lake Bracciano.

History

The castle seen from the hospital parking lot

There is no certain information about the origins of Bracciano, on the Via Cassia overlooking the lake. ^[5]

In 1494 Charles VIII of France and his troops marching against Rome stopped at Bracciano. This act led to the excommunication of the Orsini, and in 1496 the city was besieged by a papal army headed by Giovanni di Candia, son of Pope Alexander VI Borgia, though it resisted successfully. Cesare Borgia, another of Alexander's natural sons, was unsuccessful in his attempt to take the Orsini stronghold a few years later. The sixteenth century was a period of splendour for Bracciano. The notorious spendthrift and libertine Paolo Giordano I Orsini, having married in 1558 Isabella de' Medici, daughter of Cosimo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany, received the title of duke of Bracciano in 1560. The castle received some modernization for the brief visit of the Medici that year. He hired the most prestigious painter available in Rome, Taddeo Zuccaro, to fresco with allegories and coats-of-arms the fortress's most prestigious room, the Sala Papalinia that had been occupied by Sixtus IV. ^[6] Isabella spent the remainder of her life avoiding a return to the castle, which a modern tourist tradition would have her haunting. ^[7]

In the castle, richly frescoed friezes and ceilings now contrast with blank walls, which were hung with richly coloured tapestries when the lords of Bracciano were in residence. The important late-15th century frieze showing the labours of Hercules ^[8] is still visible.

Climate

The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Csa" (Mediterranean climate). ^[9]

Climate data for Bracciano (Vigna di Valle) (1991–2020)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	18.7 (65.7)	19.3 (66.7)	23.8 (74.8)	27.2 (81.0)	31.4 (88.5)	36.0 (96.8)	37.6 (99.7)	39.8 (103.6)	33.4 (92.1)	28.4 (83.1)	24.4 (75.9)	18.8 (65.8)	39.8 (103.6)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	10.6 (51.1)	11.6 (52.9)	14.4 (57.9)	17.4 (63.3)	21.9 (71.4)	26.5 (79.7)	29.7 (85.5)	30.0 (86.0)	25.0 (77.0)	20.3 (68.5)	15.2 (59.4)	11.3 (52.3)	19.5 (67.1)
Daily mean °C (°F)	7.5 (45.5)	7.9 (46.2)	10.2 (50.4)	12.9 (55.2)	17.2 (63.0)	21.5 (70.7)	24.3 (75.7)	24.7 (76.5)	20.4 (68.7)	16.4 (61.5)	12.0 (53.6)	8.5 (47.3)	15.3 (59.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	4.8 (40.6)	4.7 (40.5)	6.6 (43.9)	8.8 (47.8)	12.8 (55.0)	16.8 (62.2)	19.4 (66.9)	20.0 (68.0)	16.5 (61.7)	13.2 (55.8)	9.3 (48.7)	5.9 (42.6)	11.6 (52.9)
Record low °C (°F)	−4.0 (24.8)	−5.0 (23.0)	−3.6 (25.5)	−0.6 (30.9)	5.1 (41.2)	9.8 (49.6)	11.0 (51.8)	12.4 (54.3)	8.7 (47.7)	4.6 (40.3)	0.0 (32.0)	−4.2 (24.4)	−5.0 (23.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	70.4 (2.77)	68.2 (2.69)	67.6 (2.66)	63.6 (2.50)	54.1 (2.13)	31.2 (1.23)	24.0 (0.94)	29.1 (1.15)	76.0 (2.99)	126.4 (4.98)	143.2 (5.64)	98.7 (3.89)	852.4 (33.56)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	7.3	6.8	6.8	7.0	6.3	3.5	2.1	2.6	5.8	7.8	10.3	8.7	74.9
Average relative humidity (%)	77.5	73.6	72.7	72.8	72.0	68.6	65.2	65.9	70.9	76.9	80.3	78.3	72.9
Average dew point °C (°F)	3.8 (38.8)	3.4 (38.1)	5.4 (41.7)	8.2 (46.8)	12.1 (53.8)	15.0 (59.0)	16.4 (61.5)	17.0 (62.6)	15.0 (59.0)	12.5 (54.5)	8.9 (48.0)	4.9 (40.8)	10.2 (50.4)
Mean monthly sunshine hours	155.6	171.6	201.8	225.6	279.3	298.5	335.7	316.2	242.7	183.2	146.4	146.9	2,703.7
Source: NOAA [10]

Twin towns

Bracciano is twinned with

• Neusäß, Germany
• Châtenay-Malabry, France
• Wolaita Sodo, Ethiopia ^[11]

Filmography

• Medici: Masters of Florence TV series (Castle Bracciano). ^[12]
• Elisa di Rivombrosa

See also

• Orsini family
• Lake Bracciano

The lake as seen from Largo Falcone and Borsellino, near the castle

References

1. "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
2. "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
3. "Resident population on 1st January: Lazio". Istituto nazionale di statistica. Archived from the original on 9 June 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
4. Bracciano is pronounced in three syllables: "Bra-CHA-no".
5. The modern history is Carla Micheli Giaccone, Bracciano e il suo castello, Rome, 1990.
6. Caroline P. Murphy, Murder of a Medici Princess 2008:80f.
7. "Given that Isabella could not bear the idea of living in Bracciano when she was alive, it seems unlikely she would choose to haunt the castle dead," observes Caroline P. Murphy, Murder of a Medici Princess 2008:351.
8. Malcolm Bull, The Mirror of the Gods, How Renaissance Artists Rediscovered the Pagan Gods, Oxford UP, 2005. ISBN   0-19-521923-6.
9. Climate Summary for Bracciano
10. "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Vigna di Valle". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
11. "Wolaita Sodo establishes sister city network with Bracciano". Ethiopian press agency.
12. "I Medici Masters of Florence tv series location: Castle Orsini Odescalchi in Bracciano". Archived from the original on 2019-09-25. Retrieved 2017-03-06.

External links

• Tourist Information
• Castello Orsini-Odescalchi
• Roberto Piperno, "Bracciano"