Palazzo Antonelli Castracane Augusti Martines dalle 100 finestre
Brugnetto di Trecastelli (AN)
Located 7 km from Senigallia—the first Roman imperial colony on the Adriatic coast—on an ancient hill in the locality of Brugnetto di Trecastelli (AN), stands the majestic Palazzo Antonelli Castracane Augusti Martines delle 100 Finestre. This splendid princely and cardinal residence was built upon a Roman castrum dating back to 150 BC. Converted into a monastery in the 13th century, it was transformed into a castle in the 16th century at the behest of the ancient Counts Antonelli of Gubbio and Pergola.
In 1759, Count Nicola Antonelli, who became a cardinal under Pope Clement XIII, doubled the size of the castle, summoning from Rome a distinguished group of renowned artists and craftsmen: Luigi Vanvitelli and his pupil Andrea Vici for the architectural design; Felice Giani and Francesco Smuglewicz for the ceiling and wall decorations; and Francesco Mancini, Domenico Corvi, Pompeo Batoni, and Carlo Maratta for the pictorial embellishments.
Countess Laurentina Castracane degli Antelminelli—one of the descendants of the great condottiero Castruccio Castracane—received the palace as a dowry from her uncle, Cardinal Giacomo Antonelli, Secretary of State to Pope Pius IX, upon her marriage to Count Augusto Augusti, a member of one of Italy's most ancient noble families.
In the 20th century, the palace served as the summer residence of the Augusti family, among whom three notable figures stand out: Count Umberto, Grand Officer of Cavalry and highly decorated Major General; the painter Nori de Nobili, now recognized as one of the most important Italian artists of the 20th century; and Count Gino, grandfather of the current owners, a multifaceted figure of Italian history, an accomplished military and political strategist, awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals for Military Valor during the Libyan campaign and both World Wars. He also served as Podestà of Corinaldo and as the first mayor of liberated Trecastelli. Count Gino hosted in his residence prominent personalities and friends such as Winston Churchill, Gabriele D'Annunzio, Francesco Baracca, and Ernest Hemingway.
The monumental complex, surrounded by a park and a two-hectare centuries-old woodland, includes the private noble chapel dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Timothea, still consecrated and granted plenary indulgence, as well as the family crypt. The uniqueness of the manor—over the centuries host to popes, philosophers, and sovereigns—lies in its solemn and austere exterior of brick and Istrian stone, and in the extraordinary tempera decorations of its ceilings, which have earned it the appellation "Domus Aurea of the Marche."
For over fifteen years, the palace housed the headquarters of the National Association of the Cavalry Arm – 7th Lancers of Milan, establishing itself as a key center for the preservation and transmission of historical and military traditions.
Today, it is home to the "Gino Augusti '900" House Museum, a cultural institution dedicated to the figure of Gino Augusti and directed by Count Giovanni Martines Augusti.
The House Museum preserves a significant collection of memorabilia belonging to eminent figures from the national and international cultural scene, including Gabriele D'Annunzio, Ernest Hemingway, Grace Kelly, Luigi Pirandello, and Francesco Baracca, as well as many other historically and culturally distinguished personalities.
The palace can be visited by appointment only, through weekly guided tours. Visits are reserved for groups of at least ten participants. For reservations, please contact Casa Gino Augusti '900.
