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Also called Rocca del Papa,
greatly destroyed by the bombings in 1944 and since then renovated,
the imposing building had been erected by Cardinal Albornoz,
who died in Viterbo in 1367, but had not been completed -
on the contrary, it even has been partially demolished by
the population of Viterbo- and only in 1457 the work started
again to be concluded in 1462 under Pius II. Later on, both
Alexander VI and Julius II enlarged and embellished the building.
The external loggia has been created by Paul III Farnese in
1538. In the internal atrium stands a fountain with the arms
of the Della Rovere. From there starts the staircase with
a porch towards the atrium at the first landing. The stairs
lead to the first floor where you find the Throne Hall, where
on May, 18th 1527 the General Chapter of the Knights of St.John-of-Jerusalem
was held.
At the last floor, there is
the private appartment of the Pontiff with its loggia towards
the square. The Rocca Albornoz houses the Museo Nazionale
and a great permanent exhibition on the Etruscan and domestic
architecture.
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