To reach the origins of this country estate, which rises majestically in Umbria through the mists of time and nature, we must look back over more than a millennium.
Inhabited by man since prehistoric times Murlo has been witness to many historical events, which shaped the Italy we see today.
Murlo is situated at the summit of a beautiful hill between Monte Elceto di Murlo and Monte Tezio, in an easily defendable and dominant position. Some ancient manuscripts state that the building was constructed on the spot of a pre-existing Roman villa. Other documents bring to light the connection between the name “Murlo” and the Estrucan era, suggesting that the area the castle is located in was at one time inhabited by this ancient people. In any case, the various archaeological finds in the area of the castle throughout the centuries, documented starting from the XVII century, confirm the importance of the site in antiquity. A few hundred meters from the castle, at the top of Monte Elceto, is the so-called Murlo cerchiaia, a mountainous fortification dating back to protohistoric times. The castle was developed around an imposing square tower built between the XI and XII centuries for observing, guarding and controlling the surrounding valleys and roadways. Later, between the XIV and XVI centuries, other buildings were added to the tower, and the boundary walls were built. In 1580, after having passed through the Villa del Colle del Cardinale and Antognolla, the condottiere Alfonso Piccolomini, count of Montemarciano, attempted to attack the castle, but having failed, he sacked the neighboring homes instead. In 1588 the castle was renovated by the then owner, Hieronimus Oddi, the son of Galeotto. Hieronimus’ older brother was the renowned jurisconsult Sforza Oddi. He spent most of his life in Murlo and immersed in the solitude and quiet of the place he composed his famous treatises De restitutione in integrum and De juramento which, as he himself confessed, if they were “of any use to law scholars and an honor to the motherland it is all due to the solitude of Villa Murlo and not the clamor of the city or schools”. The building, which is located in the center of an agricultural estate and an uncontaminated hunting reserve, has been enlarged and altered throughout the centuries. Today it is an imposing fortified palace with a loggia and courtyard, immersed in the greenery of a lush park. Atop the palace is an ancient square donjon, covered with a roof at the beginning of the 900’s, which can still be seen today from the entire valley east of Monte Tezio, and the XVIII century bell tower of the San Giorgio church, today dedicated also to the Madonna of the Graces.
The church, which was built on a solid massive wall within the walled perimeter, was mentioned in the first pastoral visit of the territory of the diocese of Perugia in the XVI century, where it was confirmed that it had been rebuilt by the Oddi family on the remains of a pre-existing religious structure. In 1892 it was renovated by Giovanni Battista, whose wish it was that it also be dedicated to the Madonna of the Graces.