Monaldo Monaldeschi della Cervara was a son of the noble family which dominated Orvieto for much of the Middle ages. Monaldo wrote a “Historical Commentary” that was published in Venice in 1584. In this commentary he recounted that in 1299 Pope Boniface VIII appointed “Cardinal Teodorico Ranieri Captain of the Papal Possessions” and commanded this Cardinal to build two Palaces, one in the Piazza Santa Christina di Volsena (now Bolsena) and another above the Rocca di Ripeseno….”.
The date and description of the building coincides with that of the property “Il Palazzone” constructed by Cardinal Teodorico at the bidding of Pope Boniface VIII as a hostel for pilgrims on their way to Rome to celebrate the Jubilee of 1300 A.D.
There is a further reference to the building and the adjoining land in the Land Register of 1591 of the property of L’Opera del Duomo di Orvieto.
Il Palazzone was registered as “the farm of Palazzone with 11 some and 449 canne and the vineyard of two quartenghi and fifty four canne”

In 1969 Angelo Dubini and his wife Maria Locatelli bought this property known as Palazzone and reconstructed the virtually abandoned casa colonica on the property for use as a family home.
The hilly portion of the land adjacent to Rocca Ripesena, with its superb view of Orvieto on its majestic crag, consisted of sedimentary soil and clay. Angelo Dubini decided to plant 25 hectares to vines of varieties that he expected would make wine of great complexity and character.
In 1982 his two sons, Giovanni and Lodovico, made the first small vintage from these grapes. In1988 their vintage was sufficient to justify the construction of a winery to process all their own grapes and also to organise and begin the commercial marketing of what is now “Palazzone” wine regarded as one of the most significant labels in Umbria.

The third wish of Angelo Dubini was that the historical building of Il Palazzone be restored to its original charm and prominence.
Now, at last, the restoration has begun and Il Palazzone is emerging not only as a remarkable historical building but, when the restoration is complete, it will resume its original role as a provider of hospitality to those who wish to rest a while in its tranquil and beautiful surroundings.