Villafranca Castle

Villafranca di Verona, Italy

The Castle of Villafranca di Verona was built starting in 1199, after the Battle of Ponte dei Molini (Mantua), and was completed in 1202. The purpose was to defend the population of Villafranca in casa of sudden attacks from Mantua.

Serraglio, a defensive wall unique in Europe, was built in 1345. It is about 13 miles long. It started from Borghetto and linked five castles: Borghetto, Valeggio, Gherla, Villafranca and Nogarole Rocca. Nowadays, of the Serraglio remains only some traces that can be seen along the right bank of the river Tione.

Inside the walls, there are seven small towers called 'Torresine'. The base of the Mastio (the main tower) was built using some stones that camed from the remains of the Arch of Emperor Tiberius. The wars over time destroyed most of the Castle.

Starting from the year 1450, the Castle was abandoned, and only centuries later, it was bought by some nobles such as Angelo Alessandri or G.B. Simeoni, the Count of Villafranca.

In 1890 the main tower of the castle was rebuilt and a clock was added. Under the main fortress, there is the Church of Christ, the first church of the district of Villafranca. In the inside, there are a fourteenth-century fresco depicting the Crucifixion and three paintings of the eighteenth century painted by Giovanni Battista Lanceni and representing the scourging of Jesus, the Christ mocked and crowned with thorns, and the ascent of Jesus to Calvary. The chapel has been restored in recent times.

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Address

Via Trieste 2, Villafranca di Verona, Italy
See all sites in Villafranca di Verona

Details

Founded: 1199
Category: Castles and fortifications in Italy

More Information

www.terredelcustoza.com
www.tourism.verona.it

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

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Mantua Cathedral (21,2 km)

User Reviews

Francesco Junior (21 months ago)
"Christmas version "
taylos nntk (2 years ago)
A beautifull place. Been seeing it everytime i came in holydays since i was little. I'm still fascinated about this !
Azad Onur Kekilli (2 years ago)
Great place for concerts...
Joel Rinn (2 years ago)
It's nice if you're in the area, but I wouldn't suggest taking a trip to see it. It's well preserved and picturesque. There's a park for children along one side and a grassy area for walking around it.
Tim Logistik (3 years ago)
Incredible Location and fantastic vibes for Concerts. Went there yesterday for the Lumineers and it was probably the best concert I ever was. The only bad thing was that security kicked everyone out half an hour after the concert. Would have enjoyed taking some drinks afterwards.
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