History of the Palazzo

The Palazzo Ducale di Fragneto Monforte has been a home to the Montalto family for over 500 years. It is set in the heart of a small village surrounded by beautiful and tranquil countryside between Rome and Naples, of which the Montalto family, past and present, are significant land owners.

The origins of the Palazzo date back to before the year 1000. The house was originally built by the Longobards as a fortress to protect and observe the road from Benevento to Rome.

During World War II, the house once again became a place of strategic military importance. Field Marshal Albert Kesselring and later Field Marshal Lord Alexander of Tunis stayed at the Palazzo during the German retreat through Southern Italy, before finally meeting at the battle of Monte Cassino in 1944.