The Serravalle Castle and the Da Varano Lordship

At the end of the 14th century, Camerino witnessed the development of numerous fortresses, towers, and castles around it, providing solid defense against powerful enemies. The Da Varano lordship reached the peak of its expansion, controlling a vast territory that extended from the westernmost border with Umbria, with the Rocca di Serravalle, to the eastern border with the Castello della Rancia in Tolentino, incorporating many vicariates including Civitanova, Macerata, Amandola, and Sarnano. To the north, a massive and well-connected defensive front was concentrated, while in the southern borders, defense was organized along the Chienti Valley with two lines of fortification. The innermost line, directly protecting the city, included the main bulwarks of Serravalle, Sentino, and Varano around Camerino.
The Castello di Serravalle represents the most significant surviving structure among the previously mentioned complexes and, above all, one of the largest fortresses ever possessed by the municipality of Camerino. Originally, along with the castle, there were two minor fortified nuclei: Tufo and Serramula. Nothing remains of the former, while the latter is hypothesized to be located in the current village of Serravalle (Bittarelli 1975, p. 98).
The earliest written records of the Castello di Serravalle date back to the 13th century: in 1216, it was already a possession of the Baschi family, as evidenced by records claiming it under the Church’s jurisdiction. In 1240, it was mentioned in Cardinal Fieschi’s diploma and assigned to the Municipality of Camerino: castrum Serravallis cum suis pertinentis was included in the Camerino district. In 1274, a castellanus de Serravalle is mentioned among the councilors of the Camerino municipality. Castrum Serravallis is later listed among the casta Romanae Ecclesia in the Descriptio Marchiae.
In 1409, the entire defensive apparatus, including nearby castles such as Montacchiello and the Rocca di Telagio, was sold to the Varano family. In the 1429 division of “castra et loca” among the Da Varano brothers, the castle was assigned to Gentilpandolfo, along with Serramula and Tufo. Serravalle is mentioned in 1465 in the boundary dispute between Camerino and Foligno, and in 1502 it appears in the Borgias’ inventory as a castle with a fortress. Additionally, we know that in 1510, during the passage of Pope Julius II, the gates of Serravalle, along with those of Valcimarra, located at the eastern limit of Camerino’s defensive line, were demolished.