Il Castello Malatestiano di Monteleone

A steep ramp climbs from the village square to reach Il Castello Malatestiano di Monteleone, passing on the left a modest structure linked by a secret staircase to the fortress proper. The entire trapezoid outcrop is ringed by walls, with the main body forming an L-shape from two contiguous buildings, its northern face opening onto a large hanging garden. Two towers flank the entrance symmetrically: a semi-cylindrical one to the west, and a square, tapered one to the east. Inside, however, the fortress feels less a martial stronghold than an eighteenth-century palazzo. A broad double staircase in local stone connects the service and day areas on the ground floor to the bedrooms above, where a suite of interconnecting rooms is lavishly furnished with fine period pieces. The effect is of a defensive shell concealing a domestic interior of considerable elegance.

Description via source. Coordinates and heritage data from the Atika atlas.