The impressive Tenno Castle is embedded into beautiful nature. The small medieval town Frapporta huddles against the castle. It is surrounded by the old city walls and shows how the people I the middle Ages lived in accordance with the nature.
After the castle was built by the end of the 12th century it belonged to the community. Later it was passed on to different owners. Due to many fights and sieges the castle was damaged heavily and constantly rebuild. This lead to an interesting mixture of several building styles. At the beginning of the 19th century the castle was almost forgot and decayed. To prevent the decay it was sold by auction to private people who renovated the castle. Despite the restorations the 48 meters tower, the only part that still was from the Middle Ages, crashed in 1920. Ever since the castle has been private property and unfortunately it is not open to the public.
Tenno castle can be visited. When reaching the top of the promontory the view over Lake Garda and the surroundings is amazing. Furthermore the small town Frapporta can still be visited. But at Tenno there are some other sight. For example the “Lago di Tenno”. A lake that was formed by the glaciers thousands years ago and that das crystal clear water.
References: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.