The 12th-century Rocca Sinibalda sits on a spur of rock dominating the Turano Valley, a 40-minute drive north of Rome, on what was once a vital trade route between the Medici territories and the papal states.

Looking across the valley from the opposite side, the Castle of the Eagle, as it is called, makes a romantic picture – a typical mediaeval fortress, with massive bastion walls topped with battlements and lookout turrets.