Castle or Villa Lusa is an ancient feudal dwelling that was part of a defensive system of the Bishops of Feltre and Belluno. The structure was built on the ruins of a fort dated back to the late Bronze age, occupied even in Roman times and is located where the Stièn stream joins the Caorame one.


The property still retains some High Middle Ages parts (12th century) and was once surrounded by a deep moat crossed by a drawbridge.
From the second half of the fifteenth century the building was renovated and inhabited, but many works have been done until the nineteenth century. In fact you can still see the particular wall layers, evidence of the many changes done to the mansion.


The villa now houses a Center for Documentation and Study of Applied Arts of Culture and of Ancient Craft Techniques designed by the owners who organize interesting educational activities for school groups and groups
http://www.infodolomiti.it

Castel Lusa

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Zumelle Castle is a castle near the village of Tiago in the municipality of Borgo Valbelluna, province of Belluno, northern-eastern Italy.

Nearby the castle is the early medieval church of San Donato, of Lombard origins.

History
A first fortification here existed perhaps as early as c. 46-47 AD, when the Romans were consolidating their hold in the Valbelluna, conquered in the 1st century BC. The construction sat on a strategical location, commanding the road coming from the plain through the Praderadego, which has been identified as the Via Claudia Augusta Altinatis or, more likely, one of its side branches.

During and after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the castle was the major stronghold of the area as it guarded the connections between Feltre and Ceneda. According to a legend, the ruined fortifications were refounded by one Gaiseric (or Genseric), a faithful of queen Amalasuntha. After her assassination, he established here and had two twins (Italian: gemelle), whence the name. During the early Middle Ages the castle was the location of a feudal struggle, started in 737 when the Lombard king Liutprand appointed Valentino, bishop of Ceneda, as lord of Zumelle. This caused a controversy with John, count-bishop of Belluno, who already ruled these lands; the war was ended in 750 after the intervention of the new king Aistulf. In 963 emperor Otto I gave the county of Zumelle to the bishops of Belluno.

In 1037 emperor Conrad II assigned it to his baron Abelfred. The latter died with no male heirs, and the castle went to his daughter Adelheit, who married Wilfred of Colfosco. Their daughter Sofia in turn married Guecellone II da Camino, and thenceforth the castle was owned by the Caminesi family.

The castle was rebuilt in 1311 by Rizzardo IV da Camino, lord of Treviso, Belluno and Feltre, but after its conquest by the Republic of Venice it lost its importance. In 1501 it was sacked by imperial troops during the War of the League of Cambrai. Restored, it was subsequently owned by the Zorzi and Gritti families and, after the fall of the Venetian Republic, by the Austrian Empire. In 1872 it was acquired by the commune of Mel, which is still the current owner.




Zumelle Castle 

CastelBrando, former Castrum Costae, is a medieval castle situated on a dolomite limestone rock at an elevation of 370 m (1,210 ft) above sea level, overlooking the villages of Cison di Valmarino and Valmareno, Northern Italy. The name CastelBrando is due to the name Brandolini, the ancient family from Forlì, who were the Lords of the castle.
CastelBrando was originally built in the Roman age as a defensive fortress in order to protect the important lines of communication which connected Northern Italy to the countries on the other side of the Alps. Originally there was a garrison here protecting the territory between the Piave and the Livenza rivers in order to facilitate the safe construction of the pre-alpine part of the Via Claudia Augusta, an important Roman road, which linked the valley of the Po River with Rhaetia (modern Austria). The original castrum, dating from 46 AD is still visible today. A recent archaeological excavation has uncovered a 3 m (9.8 ft) diameter bread-oven within the castrum, dating from the same period. The original Roman baths have also been excavated, as have the original pipes of the aqueduct which supplied water from three nearby natural springs. These springs still provide water for the castle today. During the European Migration Period the fortress became an important defensive position against barbarian invasions. Over the centuries the castle has been subject to numerous enlargements and renovations. During the 13th century the castle was substantially enlarged while under the ownership of the Da Camino family, who lived there from 1233 to 1335. Their architectural additions included surrounding the castle with imposing Guelph-Ghibelline style battlements and building a central tower. Gherardo III da Camino, the great Italian feudal lord and military leader was born in the castle in 1240.

The Castle's ownership then passed over to the Republic of Venice, which awarded the Castle's fiefdom first to Marin Faliero and then to the condottieri Giovanni Brandolino and Erasmo da Narni, better known as "Gattamelata". After the fall of Venetian Republic in 1797, it was passed down through the family of Giovanni Brandolino and became the property of the Brandolini Counts, an ancient family from Forlì. In the first half of the 16th century Antonio Maria Brandolini (1476–1522), commissioned skilled engineers to enlarge the central part of the castle in Sansovino style, adding Venetian Gothic double and triple mullioned windows. In 1700 the Brandolini family commissioned Ottavio Scotti, architect and Count of Treviso, to design and build an extension to the southern part of the castle. Part of these works included the building of a castle chapel, the Church of San Martino. 

During World War I, the castle was invaded by Imperial Austrian forces and used as a military hospital.The Brandolini family abandoned their home and escaped to their Solighetto villa near Pieve di Soligo. After 10 years of restoration work, financed by Count Girolamo IV Brandolini (1870–1935), the castle was re-opened as a place of residence in 1929. In 1959 the castle was sold by the Brandolini family to the Salesian fathers,who altered its structure to use it as a monastery and as a centre for spiritual studies. In 1997 CastelBrando was purchased by Quaternary Investments SpA, who started an expansive renovation program in order to convert it into a hotel and museum