The first documentary reference to the Castle dates from 995, which records a “placitum” between the chief Romagna noblemen and the Archbishop of Ravenna’s envoys.

The Castle was enlarged in the 13th Century by the then Countess Aldruda Frangipane. Held by the Empire for a number of years, it was visited by Frederick Barbarossa, who stayed here with his troops for about 6 months. After the end of Swabian rule in Italy, the Castle was fought over by the powerful local warlords and in 1302 Dante Alighieri found refuge there.

In the mid 15th Century it became home to the court of Domenico Novello Malatesta, who started to convert it from a military fort to a palace.

In 1581 Bishop Giovanni Andrea Caligari decided to start restoration work on the Castle and in 1584 it took on the role of Bishop’s Palace, which it was to retain until 1969.

The frescoes, the work of Corradini Romano and completed in 1615, were also commissioned by Bishop Caligari.

It has housed the University Residential Centre of Bertinoro since 1994 and has also been home to the Interfaith Museum since 2010.