Villa Torlonia, "La Torre"

Villa Torlonia, which everyone in San Mauro calls "La Torre" because of the tower that dominates it, was the centre of a large agricultural estate belonging to the Torlonia princes. Here Ruggero Pascoli, the poet Giovanni's father, worked as estate manager.

On 10 August 1867, returning home from the market in Cesena on a gig drawn by the grey mare, Ruggero was shot dead. The crime was never solved and marked forever the life and poetry of his son: you find it in "X Agosto", the poem about the killed swallow that we all read at school, and in "Cavallina storna", in which the mother asks the mare to reveal the murderer's name.

The villa, now restored, is part of the Parco della Poesia Pascoli together with the birthplace. It houses a multimedia museum dedicated to the poet and the life of the estate, the large rural courtyard, and spaces for exhibitions, meetings and summer performances.

In summer the courtyard becomes a stage for open-air concerts and readings. Combine your visit with Casa Pascoli in the town to get the complete picture: on one side the family, on the other the place of work and tragedy.