On the main square of the village of Gualdo Cattaneo stands the mighty Rocca, emblem of the territory's fortified 'frontier' defence system. The numerous presence of fortresses, towers and castles, still visible today, is motivated precisely by its strategic position, continuously contested over the centuries between Spoleto, Todi, Foligno and Perugia.
Construction work was concentrated between 1494 and 1500, designed by Francesco di Bartolomeo da Pietrasanta, at the behest of the city of Foligno.
It towers over the village's central square and is also called “Rocca Dei Borgia” in honour of Papa Alessandro VI Borgia, who granted the Trinci family the administration of the village and started the construction. It was erected because of the need to introduce artillery into the defensive systems, thus being able to hit enemies from a greater distance.
The fortification has a triangular plan, with each vertex corresponding to a round, truncated cone tower, with a central, taller keep, 80 m in diameter and 20 m high, and two lateral washers communicating with each other through a system of underground passages. Inside lived the garrison consisting of a castellan and 6 soldiers on 6-month shifts. The current entrance to the Rocca was not present, it was accessed by stairs through a gap between the Rocchette, visible from the Municipal Gardens, making the building impregnable.
Today it is known as Rocca “Sonora”, it takes this appellation from the sound system of voices, stories and sounds created within the path, to bring its history to life. In 1624, Galileo Galilei stayed here on his way from Perugia to Acquasparta to visit Prince Federico Cesi, who left written "It is a small compendium of the universe".
Passing through tunnels and stairways, one climbs up to the main terrace, which today overlooks an indescribable panorama, but which in the past was a fundamental sighting and control point over the Tever Valley and the Spoleto Valley.
