The Borromeo 'Rocca' of Arona: Seven Centuries, Gallows Gallows Humor, and the

The Borromeo fortress, not misleading the castle, was a fortification that passed hands quicker than a hot potato for seven long centuries. Originated and constructed under the Longobards prior to the 10th century, it began as a simple defensive hideaway, but speedily found a better purpose. By the 11th and 12th centuries, the ecclesiastical world claimed ownership, but the story of the Borromeo Fortress Ruins did not end there. It was pulverized by the Della Torre family, only to be recuperated by the Visconti in 1227.

In 1439, it, alongside the entire Commune and the Castle of Arona, was ceded by Filippo Maria Visconti to Vitaliano I Borromeo. For 4 centuries, the Borromeo family upheld its name, giving birth to San Carlo Borromeo, a distinguished cardinal, in 1538. The act of the Borromeo Fortress Ruins concluded in 1800 when Napoleon’s army finally destroyed it. Today, only some vestiges of the Borromeo Fortress Ruins remain, murmuring tales of seven centuries, gallows gallows humor, and the hatching of a legend.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons