Castel Valer is situated near Tassullo in a panoramic position, encircled by hills, which are covered by orchards, and it excels for its faultless elegance.
The first document of castle dates back to 1211, when it was a property of the Counts Appiano and it was used as military guard post. It was sold to the Coredo’s and to Sporo’s in 1368, who are still the owners.
The tower is 40 metres high. It has an octagonal plan and it was built partially in imported granite. This structure shines for its majesty and peculiarity among the other towers in Trentino. The chapel of the castle is dedicated to Saint Valerio, and probably the name of the castle originates from the cult of this man, even if it is unlikely a roman derivation.
The most ancient part of the castle dates back to 14th century. The second part, which dates back to 16th century, is called Castel di sopra. The Chapel of Saint Valerio is situated in the northern part of the castle, between the main and the external curtain. It is entirely painted in fresco by the brothers Giovanni and Battista Baschenis, two travelling artists, who were natives of Bergamo. The frescoes have a good chromatic vividness and they represent Saint Valerio on the throne together with Saint Fabiano and Saint Sebastiano.
References:The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.
The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.
The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.