Bracciano

**Bracciano** is a smaw toun in the Italian region o Lazio,  northwast o Roum.  The toun is famous for its volcanic loch (Lago di Bracciano or "Sabatino", the aicht lairgest loch in Italy) an for a pairticularly well-preservit medieval castle Castello Orsini-Odescalchi.  The loch is widely uised for sailin an is popular wi tourists; the castle haes hostit a nummer o events, especially weddins o actors an sangsters.

The toun is servit bi a urban railwey (Line FR3) which connects it wi Roum (stations o Ostiense and Valle Aurelia) in aboot 55 minutes. Close tae it lee the twa medieval touns o Anguillara Sabazia an Trevignano Romano.

## History
Thare is nae certain information aboot the oreegins o Bracciano, on the Via Claudia owerleukin the loch. It probably rose frae ane o the numerous touers biggit in the tent century as a defence against the Saracen attacks, as impleed bi the auncient name o *Castrum Brachiani*. In the eleivent century the neebourin territory wis acquired bi the Prefetti di Vico faimily, who turned the touer intae a castle. Ferdinand Gregorovius datit the possession o Bracciano bi the Orsini tae 1234. The aurie wis later acquired bi the Roman hospital o Santo Spirito in Sassia an, frae 1375, wis a Papal possession.

In 1419 the Colonna Pape Martin V confirmit the fief o Bracciano in the Orsini family branch o Tagliacozzo. Unner this pouerful faimily the ceety developit intae a flourishin toun, famous in the whole o Italy for its castle, which wis enlairgit, stairtin frae 1470, bi Napoleone Orsini an his son Virginio. In 1481 it hoosed Pape Sixtus IV, who haed fled frae the plague in Roum; the *Sala Papalina* in ane o the corner touers commemorates the event. Fower year later, housomeivver, the ceety an the castle wur ravagit bi Papal troops unner Prospero Colonna, an subsequently a new line o waws wis biggit.

In 1494 Charles VIII o Fraunce an his troops mairchin against Roum stoppit at Bracciano. This act led tae the excommunication o the Orsini, an in 1496 the ceety wis besiegit bi a papal airmy heidit bi Giovanni di Candia, son o Pape Alexander VI Borgia, tho it resistit successfully. Cesare Borgia, anither o Alexander's natural sons, wis unsuccessful in his attempt tae tak the Orsini stranghauld a few years later. The saxteent century wis a period o splendour for Bracciano. The notorious spendthrift an libertine Paolo Giordano I Orsini, haein marriet in 1558 Isabella de' Medici, dochter o Cosimo I, Grand Duke o Tuscany, receivit the title o duke o Bracciano in 1560. The *castello* receivit some modrenization for the brief visit o the Medici that year. He hired the maist prestigious penter available in Roum, Taddeo Zuccaro, tae fresco wi allegories an coats-o-airms the fortress' maist prestigious ruim, the *Sala Papalinia* that haed been occupeed bi Sixtus IV. Isabella spent the remainder of her life avoiding a return to the castle, which a modern tourist tradition would have her haunting.

The economy wis boostit bi the exploitation o sulphur an airn, the production o tapestries an paper. The latter wis favoured bi the construction o a aqueduct whose ruins can still be seen in the ceety. Bracciano in this period haed some 4,500 inhabitants.

Housomeivver, the expensive tenor o life o the Orsini eventually damaged the economic conditions o the ceety. The last great ruler wis probably Paolo Giordano II, a patron o airts an leeteratur who made Bracciano a centre o cultur in Italy. The decline culminatit in 1696 when the castle was sauld tae Livio Odescalchi, nephew o Pape Innocent XI; the Odescalchi faimily still retain the castle.

In the castle, richly frescoed friezes an ceilins nou contrast wi blank waws, which wur hung wi richly-coloured tapestries when the lairds o Bracciano wur in residence. Fortunately, the important late-15t century frieze showin the labours o Hercules is still visible.

The main economic activities are tourism, services an agricultur. Till the twintiet century the region wis notoriously unhalthy for its malaria, nou eradicatit; as a result, nane o the feene villas wur biggit at the watter's edge, but aw stuid on halthier rises o grund.

## Climate
The Köppen climate clessification subtype for this climate is "Csa" (Mediterranean climate).




## See an aw
*Orsini
*Loch Bracciano

## Notes

## Freemit airtins

* Tourist Information 
* Castello Orsini-Odescalchi
* Roberto Piperno, "Bracciano"
* Bracciano Offeecial Tourism Information