Would you like to relive the feelings of the great German poet Goethe when he first looked out over Lake Garda? This trek follows in his footsteps on the historic Strada di Santa Lucia trail with the addition of an interesting stop-off to visit the ruins of Castel Penede

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Can you imagine massive Venetian galleys being hauled over the mountains? Well, in 1439, this is precisely what happened. Brescia, an ally of Venice, was under threat from the Milanese troops and intervention was needed in their defence. The Venetians sailed up the River Adige with 25 boats and 6 galleys which were dismantled and transported with the help of 2000 oxen to the port of Torbole, passing through the Santa Lucia valley. In 1440 the little fleet defeated the Milanese and liberated Riva del Garda.

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Castel Penede

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Arco Castle (Italian: Castello di Arco, German: Schloss Arch) is a ruined castle located on a prominent spur high above Arco and the Sarca Valley in Trentino, northern Italy.
History
The exact date of its foundation is unknown but it existed at least after the year 1000 AD. The area around Arco was inhabited already before the Middle Ages, the castle was said to have been built by the citizens and only later becoming the property of the local nobles.
The counts of Arco (from Latin arcus, 'bow'), probably of Italian origin (a presumed kinship with the Bavarian counts of Bogen could not be established), were first mentioned in 1124 deed; they temporarily served as liensmen of the Trent prince-bishops. Though they were raised to comital (Grafen) status by the Hohenstaufen emperor Frederick II in 1221, they had to acknowledge the overlordship of the Meinhardiner princely counts of Tyrol in 1272.

The Counts of Arco were expelled by the Prince-Bishops of Trent in 1349, whereafter the castle fell to the Veronese noble house of Scaliger. Nevertheless, they regained the castle in a local uprising, and in 1413 further strengthened their position by obtaining the status of Imperial immediacy from the hands of Emperor Sigismund in 1413. However, in the long run, they could not prevail against the mighty House of Habsburg, rulers of Tyrol since 1363. Arco Castle was captured in 1579, and the counts had to submit to the Habsburgs in 1614. Their estates were officially seized by Emperor Leopold I in 1680.

The castle was later abandoned after a siege by French troops under General Duke Louis Joseph of Vendôme in the course of the War of the Spanish Succession in 1703. A careful restoration began 1986 and following others in more recent years restorations have found a number of frescoes depicting knights and court ladies of medieval times.

Arco Castle

Originally the castle belonged to the municipality, but then passed into the hands of the Counts of Appiano and other noble families. Also the archdiocese of Trento owned the castle until the Napoleonic era. At the beginning of the 19th century, Tenno Castle was visibly decaying, as it had already lost its importance. It was bought by private people who restored it but could not preserve its typical medieval character. The fortress was finally converted into a summer residence. The square keep, the only element preserved from the Middle Ages, collapsed in 1920.

Castello di Tenno is in private hands today and the new owners have started restoration work.

https://www.trentino.com

Castello di Tenno

The Castle of Castellano (Italian: Castello di Castellano, German: Schloss Kastellein) is a manor house built around 1000, located in the village of Castellano, in the municipality of Villa Lagarina, in Trentino.

It is one of the most famous castles of Vallagarina, offering a panorama of the entire valley. Owned by numerous noble families, of which the most important was the Lodron, it was later transformed into an Austrian-Hungarian fortress in World War I.

It once housed frescoes, now preserved in the Civic Museum of Rovereto.

Castle of Castellano


Castel Noarna is located in a strategic position on Vallagarina, surrounded by vineyards. Its origin must probably date back to the VI-VII century. as a Roman fortification point, while the first documents concerning the fortress of Castelnuovo di Noarna date back to 1177.

The lords who resided here took the name from the castle itself and were the owners of it at that time the scene of numerous clashes between Guelphs and Ghibellines. At that time the fief of the Castelnuovo already included the countries of Noarna, Pomarolo and Castellano. At the end of 1200 the Castelnuovo family declined and the manor passed to the Castelbarco family, one of the most important families of the Principality of Trento. In 1486 it became a possession of the Lodron family, after a long dispute with the Calstelbarco, which also involved the Republic of Venice, who supported the new owners to guarantee support in the valley.

After a few years, precisely in 1646, the chronicles report a famous "witch trial" that involved dozens of people from all the countries of Vallagarine and survived for over a year and arrived, after numerous tortures, to be condemned by beheading and subsequent stake of 5 women.

The Castle assumed its current appearance under the possession of Londron, which refined the defensive fortification to make it a noble residence: new residential areas added to the existing and the interiors embellished with frescoes. Since 1974 the Castle belongs to the Zani family, historical hoteliers from Trentino who have implemented and modernized the wine vocation of the territories surrounding the manor. Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Blanc, Merlot, Gewürztraminer, Lagrein, Nosiola, Riesling are cultivated.

The Castle is open for guided tours and tastings of the wines produced.

Castel Noarna

Castel Noarna

At the foot of Castel Drena, which dominates the deep gorge of Rio Sallagoni, visible from the high crenellated tower, lies the striking Marocche desert, created by a peculiar glacial phenomenon that produced a field of boulders for a total of 187 million cubic metres.

Built during the 13th century, Castel Drena possibly stands over a prehistoric village. Its strategic location made it the subject of continuous disputes in the Middle Ages, since it blocked and controlled the only viable passage.

Impervious to fire, defended by two tiers of walls and built on the rock in a dominant position, the castle was impregnable with the assault means used at the time. The building’s style is essentially Romanesque, with some Gothic elements and a few 16th century structures.

The remains of a small church dedicated to St. Martin, a cult that followed the Franks expansion, document that the area was actively frequented already in the Carolingian period (9th- 10th century).

https://www.visittrentino.info

Castel Drena

It is due to Venetian aristocrats that the castle got its so characteristic polygonal shape. The guard’s walkways, the moat, the keeps, the bow ram and the mighty bastion render the building one of the best examples of late-medieval fortresses all over the Alpine region.

The castle was built in the 14th century by the noble Castelbarco family, who in 1509 handed it over to the Habsburgs. While it became an asylum for homeless people and a penal institution in early 19th century, it served as a military seat from 1859 to 1918. During World War I, both the castle and the town of Rovereto were occupied by Austrian troops and thus merciless shelled by the Italian artillery.

Since 1921 the castle has been housing the Italian Museum of War. More than 30 halls tell everything about Italy’s past and even about the castles of the Vallagarina valley.

https://www.trentino.com

Castello di Rovereto

A visit to the Castle is not only about culture and relax as from the building you can have access to the most panoramic spots of Malcesine: from the platform called "Rivellino" or from the tower, you'll enjoy a 360 degree view you will never forget, that's for sure!

A short historical overview
The fortress of Malcesine dates back to the last centuries of the first millenium B.C. even if some other well-founded sources maintain that the first to build the castle were the Longobards around the half of the first millenium A.D.

The castle was destroyed by the Franks in 590 A.D. and then rebuilt. In 806 the building hosted king Pepin, who came to Malcesine to visit the Saints Benigno and Caro and, after the Hungarians invasions, it was included in the episcopal feud of Verona.

It was under Alberto della Scala's and his family's control from 1277 to 1387.
During this period the Scaliger renovated the fortress which started to be referred to as "Scaliger castle" and it was occupied by the House of Visconti from 1387 to 1403.

Two years later, it was incorporated into the dominion of the Republic of Venice and remained under its control until 1506 when it was conquered by the Empire. The castle changed hands several times: it was owned by the Republic of Venice once again from 1516 to 1797, then by the French, followed by the Austrians which accomplished significant strengthening works inside the building and remained here from 1798 to 1866.
From that year on, it became a Venetian's ownership.

On 22 August 1902 the castle was declared a national monument.

A short guide
As you enter in the castle you can find the "Casermetta" on the left, where the castle's guard used to live. The lower ground floor and the ground floor host the Natural history museum. An external staircase leads you to the first floor where exhibits and wedding ceremonies are held.
The Natural history museum, was refurbished in May 2008 to offer visitors an original interactive multimedia approach turning the visit into a complete experience involving any of the five senses, in fact the guests can watch but also touch, smell, listen or use a touch screen.
The new set-up presents objects as works of art, shows and revisits themes, employs choreographies, including the landscape that the visitors can see from the windows.

museum garda baldo castle malcesine
At the end of the courtyard, there's a small balcony, placed at 24 m of height offering a wide and suggestive view of both the lake and the surrounding mountains.

https://www.visitmalcesine.com

The Scaliger Castle of Malcesine

The Castle of Avio (also known as the Castle of Sabbionara, Italian: Castello di Avio, old German: Schloß Aue) is a medieval castle in the comune Avio, Trentino, northern Italy. It is currently held by the Fondo per l'Ambiente Italiano (FAI). It is one of the several castles commanding the Vallagarina valley of the Adige River. It features several rooms with medieval frescoes.
History
The castle is mentioned for the first time in a 1053 document as Castellum Ava. In the 12th century it was owned by the Castelbarco family, who ceded it to the Republic of Venice in 1411. The latter enlarged it and added a chapel dedicated to St. George, together with a façade showing the doge's coats of arms.

In 1509 the castle was conquered by the troops of Maximilian I of Austria who, after painting his insignia on the façade, gave it to the counts of Arco. After several changes of property, in the 17th century the counts of Castelbarco bought it back.

Architecture
The castle features three lines of walls, with five towers. Among the latter, the so-called Torre della Picadora was the place where executions (through hanging) were carried on. In the interior is the massive mastio, surrounded by several edifices, including the baronial Palace.

Frescoes
The castle's rooms are decorated by a series of frescoes, undertaken in two different campaigns. The first is the "Chamber of Love" (Camera di Amore), dating to c.1330 and painted by an unknown workshop that had already worked in the Chiesa dei Domenicani in Bolzano. This room features scenes of love visible through the openings of a large painted brocade or curtain. Cupid, mounted on horseback, chases after a lover and shoots him with arrows. He is then shown making love to a young woman.

The second cycle was executed two or three decades later, c.1350, and features less elaborate paintings of battles.

Castle of Avio

Surrounded by woods, at the edge of the Lomaso Plain, Castel Campo rises, a gorgeous complex with two cylindrical turrets.

Due to its protected position and thanks to the vicinity to the connecting roads in the valley, Castel Campo could have been a place of refuge originally. What is certain is that since 1190 it was the seat of the powerful Campo family. In the course of years, Castel Campo was enlarged for several times. Partly the castle was changed greatly, so that the character of a fortress is almost missing today. At the beginning of the 20th century, Campo Castle was converted into a romantic villa.

The architectural gem also offers special rooms inside with neo-Gothic style features. In 1922 Castel Campo was bought by the Rasini family from Milan, who still owns the castle today.

Castel Campo is accessible within the various events during the year. But it can also be visited after consultation with the owners.

https://www.trentino.com

Castel Campo

The medieval castle complex of Pietra is located at the edge of the village of Calliano in the Vallagarina valley. The different styles of the building prove that it was extended, rebuilt and restored several times over the centuries. The Gothic style is predominant, inside there are still some valuable medieval treasures, such as the “Sala del Giudizio”, the courtroom with its impressive fresco cycle from the 15th century (1468-1478), which shows scenes from life at court.

Pietra Castle was built as an outpost for Beseno Castle, which rises above it. It owes its name to the fact that it is located on a large cliff edge, the remains of a huge landslide: the Italian word “pietra” means “stone”. Built in a strategic position, it was situated at the border between the county of Tyrol and the Venetian Republic until the 16th century. This area was the scene of battles that went down in history, such as the Battle of Calliano on the 10th of August 1487 or the meeting of Austrian and French troops under Napoleon at the end of the 18th century.

Pietra Castle has been owned by the same family since 1738 and can be visited. Also events take place there.

https://www.trentino.com