Stenico Castle, Stenico, Italy

A seat of power built on a spur overlooking the roads of communication towards the Valli Giudicarie, Stenico Castle dates back to more than 2000 years. It was first built as a refuge for the Stoni - a proud Alpine population exterminated by the Romans - from which the town takes its name.

The castle history is closely tied to the Prince-Bishops of Trento, who also used to administer justice. Legend has it that prisoners were left to die of starvation in the hunger tower, and that their restless spirits still appear on full-moon nights.

In the 18th century, the castle saw the beginning of its decadence with the Napoleonic occupation. The first refurbishing works began in 1910 and were later continued in 1973 by the Autonomous Province of Trento.

Visitors can access the castle on a steep ramp connecting the piazza to the town of Stenico. The frescoes housed in the main rooms are of particular interest. Nowadays the castle is an important venue and hosts exhibitions, photographic and contemporary art contests as well as concerts and other performances. Furthermore, it also hosts a prized archaeological section dedicated to local history as well as a furniture, paintings, arms and ancient tools exhibition borrowed from the collections of the Museum of the Castello del Buonconsiglio in Trento, of which it is a branch.

References:

Trentino Cultura

User Reviews

Ian Whittaker (5 years ago)
Lovely little castle, combine with the waterfall 1km away. Worth paying to go up the staircase to the top of the waterfall and the short walk to the botany exhibition. Covid 19 measures well organised.

Lennart Sluis (6 years ago)
Mythical location for a beautiful castle. Undiscovered pearl.

Peter Little (6 years ago)
Fantastic place & surrounding area. Mountain sides and valleys.. Holidays treat to be there.

Christopher Finch (6 years ago)
A surprise castle that we weren't expecting. Only 7 Euros for an adult and masses of history going back centuries for the castle and about 3000 years for the surrounding area. Well worth a visit if you like castles, history and spectacular views.

Bob Francis Jeanne Ekstrom (7 years ago)
Interesting

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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.

Stenico Castle

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Sigmaringen Castle