A rocky terrace at 282 metres, on the slopes of Somma-Vesuvius in a strategic position on the Nola plain. And on the Via Popilia, which once connected Capua and Reggio.
Already in Roman times, well before the volcano revealed its destructive nature in 79 AD, that site had been exploited for defensive purposes, to protect the municipium belonging to the Octavia gens, who also owned a large rustic villa there, where perhaps the Emperor Octavian Augustus. And on the remains of that villa a fortress could have arisen before the year 1000, in the middle of the Lombard era, when the town was called Ottajano and the Toccos were the most important family of the place. The first official news, on the other hand, dates back to the 11th century, linked to the struggles between powerful Normans which involved the fortified fortress of Vesuvius.
The castle was mentioned for the first time by Pope Gregory VII, who stopped there in 1083, after fleeing in great haste from Rome surrounded by siege by Emperor Henry IV. It was the Normans of their faithful ally Robert Guiscard who offered him salvation in their territories. After the long stay on Vesuvius, the pontiff moved into exile in Salerno, where he died in 1085. Responsible for a first restructuring in the Swabian era was the grandfather, as well as the saint's namesake, Thomas Aquinas, who at that stage was the lord . With the Angevins, the fortification was considerably strengthened and became part of the royal property. The killing of an ambassador sent in 1304 by Charles II, Pietro Dentice, provoked a very harsh reaction from the sovereign, who sent Carlo Lagonessa to avenge the affront, with very serious consequences on the castle and on the village that had developed nearby. For the reconstruction we had to wait for the following century, thanks to the work of the feudal lord Guerello Origlia, who had received it as a gift as a reward from Ladislao di Durazzo. Later, it was then Queen Giovanna d'Angiò who gave it to Raimondo Orsini, who became lord of Ottajano in 1419. The defense systems were then strengthened, in line with the characteristics of the most modern war techniques and weapons that came into use in that time. There were several feudal lords who followed one another in the 16th century, including Fabrizio Maramaldo in 1532, then the Gonzagas of Molfetta, up to the Medici, a cadet branch of the powerful Florentine family which was since then identified as the Medici di Ottajano.
A story that began on 15 May 1567 when Don Bernardetto de' Medici, nephew of Cosimo the Elder, bought the Vesuvian fortress for 50,000 ducats from Cesare Gonzaga. And with the Medici, between the end of the 15th and the beginning of the 17th century, the progressive transformation of the fortress into a luxurious noble residence began, the so-called Prince’s Palace. Prince Bernardetto and his wife invested in an initial structural change in the late Renaissance style, with the opening of the large windows and the construction of balconies, framed by jambs and architraves carved in piperno. The Medici coat of arms was inserted on the portal. A regeneration that experienced a second phase in the 18th century, with the intervention of esteemed students of Sanfelice and Luca Vecchione, who modified the façade on the street, leaving the original Aragonese imprint on the internal façade overlooking the garden. Baroque-style decorations were added. They have been recovered from the recent restoration. A staircase, inspired by Sanfelice, was built to go up to the noble floor. Prince Joseph III wanted to embellish the numerous rooms with precious majolica floors and with frescoes by the renowned Angelo Mozzillo, inspired by the Pompeian frescoes of the third type, to which are added subjects and motifs of late Baroque taste. Of the two internal courts, the second was used to hold theatrical and musical performances. The prince also enriched the garden with various exotic plants and completed the stables.
At the end of the 18th century, the palace of Ottaviano could be counted among the most beautiful villas of the Vesuvius, frequented by the nobility of the capital. So much so that it was necessary to fill the ancient moat and remove the drawbridge of the castle-fortress to facilitate access for carriages. The Medici of Ottajano had leading roles in the Bourbon kingdom. Luigi de' Medici di Ottajano was president of the Council and participated as a representative of the kingdom of Naples in the Congress of Vienna, which restored the Bourbons to the throne. The Medici remained owners until 1894, when Giuseppe IV died without male heirs, determining the passage of the palace to the female line of the family. Thus, through marriages, the palace ended up in the Lancellotti family, who also hosted illustrious personalities. In 1892 Gabriele D'Annunzio stayed there for some time with his lover of the moment, Maria Gravina Cruyallas. Among the guests there was also the composer Vincenzo Bellini. The Lancellotti phase ended with Donna Maria Capece Minutolo, widow of Lancellotti he sold it to a company headed by the Nuova Camorra Authorized of the boss Raffaele Cutolo, whose mother had worked for the Lancellottis. Under Cutolo works were carried out which distorted the palace, destroying above all the frescoes and ornaments on the second floor. Then the property was confiscated by the State and remained unused for a long time, therefore exposed to deterioration, until in 1995 it was finally assigned to the Municipality of Ottaviano, to be used for the benefit of the community and to affirm and spread the value of legality. On 22 April 2008, the ground floor and the surrounding park were given on loan for use for 99 years to the Vesuvius National Park, which made it its headquarters, while the upper part went to the Municipality of Ottaviano.
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