A luxurious hunting lodge in the 16th century, owned by noble Roman and Papal families, in the 18th century it became the residence of the Falconer princes who invited the best artists of their time, such as the painter Pier Leone Ghezzi and the architect Ferdinando Fuga, to fresco the church and the palace. At the beginning of 1900 it was acquired by Senator Luigi Albertini who restored the village, rehabilitated the territory and created an important agricultural enterprise.
The Castle that we admire today is basically what the Falconieri left us. The frescoes are perfectly preserved: we can relive the glories of the jubilee year 1725, when Ghezzi is called by Alessandro Falconieri to decorate the main floor with scenes celebrating the visit to the castle of Pope Benedict XIII. And inside the octagonal church, the frescoes on the side altars are further evidence of his work.
The appearance of a fortified village with watchtowers, moat and walls testifies to its medieval origins. In 1254 it was mentioned among the possessions of the noble Normanni Alberteschi family, then it passed into the hands of the Anguillara’s, the Massimo’s and the Peretti’s families. In the garden colorful peacocks walked among cedar trees and excavation finds: the castle became a place of sumptuous banquets and hunting trips. But the very high standard of living irreparably damaged the family heritage and so, in 1639, the estate and the castle were sold to the Falconieri Princes, one of the richest families in Baroque Rome. They called to Torre in Pietra two geniuses of their time: the architect Ferdinando Fuga who built the church and the new staircase leading to the main floor, and the painter Pier Leone Ghezzi who was entrusted with the decoration of the interior.
In the second half of the nineteenth century, the Falconieri disappeared and Torre in Pietra experienced a period of decline, until in 1926 it became the property of Senator Luigi Albertini. Luigi Albertini, forced to leave his newspaper Corriere della Sera because in conflict with Fascism, invests a large part of the liquidation of his stake in the purchase of the Torre in Pietra estate and its transformation into a model farm. The reclamation of the area, initially marshy, malarial and almost abandoned, required considerable investments, giving residence and employment to hundreds of employees coming mainly from the depressed areas of Lombardy and Veneto. The modern Torre in Pietra stands out above all for the breeding of dairy cattle and the production of wine. Albertini also restored the castle, which had fallen into disrepair due to the carelessness and abandonment of the previous owners, and restored the complex of the ancient annexed village, making it the seat of homes for employees, of production activities (the cellar and the stable) and of service to the company (workshop, saddlery, carpentry).