By Nick Squires

A 1,000-year-old Italian castle once owned by the hedonistic American libertine who first patented the bra has been returned to its former glory. The fortress of Rocca Sinibalda, 50 miles north of Rome, was the scene of bohemian parties involving some of the most famous artists and writers of the Fifties, under the ownership of Caresse Crosby.

But it had lain abandoned for half a century. It took eight years and millions of pounds to restore. Architects, art experts and around 50 builders faced the logistical challenge of gaining access to a fortress surrounded on three sides by sheer cliffs and entered only by a steep cobbled passage at the end of a jumble of medieval lanes.

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Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/