Italy · Restored
Rocca Maggiore
Rocca Maggiore is the hilltop castle that dominated Assisi and the Tescio valley for centuries. The present complex dates from the early 14th century and comprises a larger fortress (Major) and a smaller stronghold (Minor) linked by high medieval walls built from the pink limestone of Mount Subasio. The site retains a keep, towers at the curtain-wall corners, a round bastion, and a large central courtyard containing former service rooms and the castle's original core (the mole).
First raised
1173
Its prime
1535
Today
Restored
As it stood in 1535
The shape it held in its prime.
Perched on a rounded ridge above Assisi, the Rocca Maggiore presents long trapezoidal curtain walls of pink Mount Subasio limestone with towers at each corner; the main complex on the right includes a tall square formwork supporting the keep and a compact cluster of stone buildings with terracotta roofs. A polygonal northwestern tower connects by a defended corridor to the rest of the walls, and a later round bastion projects from the interior side. The large enclosed courtyard opens against the inner wall.
Its story
The story of Rocca Maggiore.
The Rocca Maggiore served as the principal defensive fortification of Assisi and the Tescio valley, dominating the area for more than eight hundred years. It is first documented in 1173, when Christian of Mainz, chancellor of Germany under Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, occupied Assisi on the emperor's behalf and stayed for a short period. The young Frederick II, future King of Sicily and Holy Roman Emperor, also resided in the fortress, entrusted by his mother Costanza d'Altavilla to the Duchess of Urslingen, wife of Corrado, Duke of Spoleto.
The current structure, comprising the two fortresses of the Major and the Minor, was built in 1316. In 1458 Jacopo Piccinino, captain of Perugia and Lord of Assisi, built the polygonal north-western tower, which Pope Pius II later completed.
Step inside
8 places to explore in 1535.
The record describes 8 distinct spots at Rocca Maggiore — including 3 interiors: entrance to the round bastion, large enclosed courtyard with service rooms, mole rooms and spiral staircase. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and walk through every one — more scenes means more photos, more angles and more rooms of the immersive experience.
Create History
Recreate Rocca Maggiore with AI to explore it.
The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1535 — a photoreal walk that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.
Recreate Castle to Explore →
