The Castello di Lunghezza ("Lunghezza Castle") is a medieval fortification situated roughly 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) east of Rome, Italy. It lies in Municipio VIII of Rome, and probably sits on the site of the ancient town of Collatia

Collatia

Collatia was an ancient town of central Italy, c. 15 km northeast of Rome by the Via Collatina.It appears in the legendary history of Rome as captured by Tarquinius Priscus. Virgil speaks of it as a Latin colony of Alba Longa...

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History

It was constructed in the year 761 AD and was ruled over by the Poli Family for several generations. In the 13th century, the Polis fell out of favor with Pope Boniface VIII

Pope Boniface VIII

Pope Boniface VIII , born Benedetto Gaetani, was Pope of the Catholic Church from 1294 to 1303. Today, Boniface VIII is probably best remembered for his feuds with Dante, who placed him in the Eighth circle of Hell in his Divina Commedia, among the Simonists.- Biography :Gaetani was born in 1235 in...

 when they gave all the lands around the castle to a local monastery. After some dispute, the papacy gained control of the land and it was bestowed upon the Orsinis, a family of Roman nobles.

In the 1950s, the castle was purchased by British curator Malcolm Munthe

Malcolm Munthe

Major Malcolm Munthe MC was a British soldier, writer, and curator, and son of the famous Swedish doctor and writer Axel Munthe and his second wife Hilda Pennington-Mellor.-Early life and Second World War:...

, who sought to restore it and open it to the public.