Audioguide by eArs

Hall of Coats of Arms

All those who had the privilege of Uguccione Contrari's presence would certainly have stood under the vaults of this large hall, which is where the lord of the castle granted private audiences.
As if it were necessary to once again assert ownership of these spaces without a shadow of a doubt, the walls and ceiling are entirely covered with the family’s coat of arms. You’ll have seen it everywhere at this point, but now it’s time to take a closer look. The tournament shield is 'quartered', meaning divided into four parts. The two cantons on the upper right and lower left depict the Contrari coat of arms, consisting of a sequence of alternating gold and light blue diamonds: in heraldic Italian jargon this attribute is called 'fusato in banda’.
In the other two cantons, the Este coat of arms dominate in a position of honour, namely the silver eagle on a blue background. This concession was granted by Marquis Nicolò III d'Este as a reward for performing special services.
The intertwined green branch wrapping around the coat of arms may allude to what is called the ‘siege crown', which was worn by leaders in ancient times.
See the coat of arms above the large fireplace? You’ve probably also noticed it in other rooms. This coat of arms represents the Boncompagni Ludovisi princes, owners of the fortress from 1577 to 1965. The figure of the golden dragon stands out in the shield. According to legend, this demonic mythological creature was believed to be born when one snake devoured another. To exorcise this evil aura, in 1584 Giacomo Boncompagni, the son of Pope Gregory XIII, adopted the motto 'non devorato serpente', meaning 'did not devour a snake'. This explanation allowed the dragon to take on the figure of a benevolent creature, generated by divine will.