The Farnese family originated from the north of Lazio – Castrum Farneti. Initially, they were soldiers working for the local nobility but thanks to a very successful marriage strategy the Farnese managed to move to Rome where they started a slow but very successful climb to the highest ranks of the roman aristocracy.

With time the Farnese became one of the most influential, powerful and rich families in Europe and all that success was because of a woman – Giulia Farnese or as they used to call her in Rome “Giulia la Bella” (Giulia the Beauty). When Giulia was only 15 years old she married Orsino Orsini a not particularly handsome youth of the lower aristocracy, however, the marriage was just a cover-up for the romance that Giulia had with the relative of her husband, the Spanish Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia.