Segonzano Castle, Segonzano, Italy

The Castle of Segonzano was built in the 13th century on a rock spur, around 100 meters above the valley. The place where it's placed was probably the site of a prehistoric hillfort. Built by Rodolfo Scancio, on the authority of the Prince-Bishop of Trento, Federico Vanga, the castle served as an important fortified site guarding the trade route passing through the Adige Valley and across the Cantilaga bridge on the river Avisio.

The fortress became hugely important between the 14th and 15th centuries. In the 14th century it was owned by the Scancio, Rottenburg and Greifenstein families and then passed, in 1424, to the Dukes of Tyrol.

When German painter Albrecht Dürer passed here on his first journey to Venice in 1494, he was so impressed by the gloomy walls of the fortress, that he dedicated two celebrated watercolours to it. In 1971, Durer's historic visit to the site was commemorated by two porphyry pillars, at Faver and Piazzo di Segonzano, marking the locations from which he was inspired to paint the two views.

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User Reviews

Hatim Wilkinson (3 years ago)
Great for romantic piqnoqies

Stefan Deresch (3 years ago)
Nice ruin. Please include in a hike, as a visit alone is not worth the journey. The view of the valley is breathtaking!

Giovanni Noè (3 years ago)
Very little remains of the castle but being on a hill from there it is possible to admire the surrounding landscape with the mountains and vineyards. As for the castle itself, a small tower remains standing which is well preserved and it is possible to enter it to take pictures.

Roberto Gamberoni (3 years ago)
The castle is a ruin but going inside and knowing that Durer painted a watercolor of the castle is exciting .. Then if you go out of season with very few visitors even better. Highly recommended ... Few parking spaces or rather zero

stefania bonetti (4 years ago)
There is not much left of the castle. To get there, despite a paved road you pass by, it is better to go on foot because there is no possibility to park nearby. The ruin, located on a rock, can be bypassed via a path that allows you to access, in a few minutes, a couple of panoramic points of the surrounding vineyards, the stream and the small and characteristic village of Piazzo not far away. A walk in the area is recommended with a detour to see the Roman bridge, the cantilaga bridge, the cliff with the Tibetan bridge over the Avisio, the ancient church on the nearby hill and if the weather permits a climb up to the pyramids of Segonzano.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright discopalace

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Sigmaringen Castle

Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.

The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.

These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.

Segonzano Castle

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