Castel Beseno

Trentino fascinates lovers of nature and history, precisely in these lands the harmony and coexistence between buildings dating back to the medieval period and the natural environment is truly maximum: there are no equals in the whole Italian peninsula.

One of the characteristics of Trentino Alto Adige is certainly the presence of many castles, the primacy among the fortified ones is certainly of Castel Beseno, called in German Schloss Pysein; the property is located in the municipality of Besenello, in the province of the well-known Trento, e it is part of the museum complex of the Buon Consiglio Castle.

Its location further enriches the already very high caliber, dominates the wonderful valley below, that of Vallagarina: the glance is truly breathtaking.
Architectural and artistic riches can be admired inside the Beseno Castle, among the most important there are numerous frescoes, partly ruined by bad weather and time; ramparts, fortified gates and majestic walls can be admired in all their splendor.

There is also a lot of space between inside the fortress, the courtyards are immense and it is really worth taking a look at the cellar and the cisterns, once used for collecting rainwater; certainly not a historical site left to its fate, on the contrary, in the summer cultural events and manifestations follow one another giving visibility to the most interesting and surprising building in the province of Trento.

As far as history is concerned, it is already clear from its position that it is particularly strategic: from here it was possible not only to control the entire Vallagarina valley but above all it was also possible to monitor access to Folgaria.

The first to live in the fortress were the vassals of the family of the Counts Appaiano, XII century; in particular it was the Da Beseno family but towards the end of the century the story becomes far from clear. From the reconstructions it was understood that the Church became the owner of the building, partly through donations and partly through direct purchases.

Scholars have managed to understand a particularly intricate story of the 1300s that affected the castle fortress; after the church takes possession of the building, two branches of the De Beseno family claim ownership rights. The fierce rivalry leads to a strong deterioration of the building, left in a state of neglect until 1450 when William II orders the renovations.

The Castle witnessed one of the bloodiest battles in the history of Trentino; in 1500 there was a clash between the Venetian and Trentino-Tyrolese troops; the battle was very hard and more than 4000 Venetians lost their lives. The story ends with the death of their commander Roberto Sanseverino D’Aragona who, in order not to be captured, decides to throw himself into the Adige (and drowned).

At the end of the same period, the sixteenth century, a fire destroyed a large part of the castle which was renovated, changing from castle to residence. But fortunately, no works were carried out on the walls and on the peculiar characteristics: therefore even today it remains the most interesting fortress in the whole Trentino Alto Adige region (and beyond).

In short, a truly unique construction; the story is vast and the people of Trentino organize all kinds of events in order to keep the attention of tourists alive.
Those who love fortresses must absolutely visit the no longer impenetrable Castel Beseno.

How to get here:
Castel Beseno can be reached by taking the SS number 12 on the left Adige up to Besenello (coming from the south).