History of Antiche Scuderie Odescalchi
The Dukedom of Bracciano was once held by the Orsini family but lately purchased in 1696 by Prince Livio I Odescalchi for 386.300 scuds.
He then built an enormous aqueduct and water was running from Manziana straight into the village, in order to better and grant facilities to the inhabitants of the village.
Up to 1887 the Dukedom was administrated by Prince Livio III who ran the holding leasing the properties just as was being done all around Rome’s lands.
The open lands were sown with cereals for almost half a year by local farmers while other free fields were rented for pasture and mowing.
It was a miserable agriculture which was just drying up the ground. Some of the allotments were leased to some speculators whose only aim was to gain profits. neglecting the preservation of the country.
After the death of Sofia Branicka (Princess Mother) in 1887 the Dukedom was inherited by the firstborn son Don Baldassarre.
The Dukedom experienced some great improvements as the fields had been split up into vineyards, olive yards, orchards and mulberry trees for horse breeding.
The Prince promoted with great concern and passion those horse stables which were elsewhere so disregarded that brought nothing but a reduction in productivity.
He aimed to better horse breeding, wishing to give birth to luxurious English half-breeds for Army officers. Therefore, he built the Odescalchi stables ignoring expenditures and studies and purchased pure bred, studhorses and brood-mares.