The large five-floor tower house from the 13th century was donated to the Thun family, who incorporated it into a new square building, the current Caldes Castle.
The inside is fascinating, with vaulted ceilings, wood panelling and frescoed rooms. Quite remarkable are the count’s room and the ballroom. After climbing the tower’s wooden staircase, you enter a room with frescoes all over the walls, telling ancient stories about the imprisonment of the unfortunate young countess Marianna Elisabetta Thun. Legend has it that the frescoes in the small room, known as Olinda’s prison, are her own work.
The Castle belongs to the Autonomous Province of Trento, that restored it and turned it into a prestigious venue for exhibitions and cultural events.
References:The church of the former Franciscan monastery was built probably between 1515 and 1520. It is located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Old Rauma. The church stands by the small stream of Raumanjoki (Rauma river).
The exact age of the Church of the Holy Cross is unknown, but it was built to serve as the monastery church of the Rauma Franciscan Friary. The monastery had been established in the early 15th century and a wooden church was built on this location around the year 1420.
The Church of the Holy Cross served the monastery until 1538, when it was abandoned for a hundred years as the Franciscan friary was disbanded in the Swedish Reformation. The church was re-established as a Lutheran church in 1640, when the nearby Church of the Holy Trinity was destroyed by fire.
The choir of the two-aisle grey granite church features medieval murals and frescoes. The white steeple of the church was built in 1816 and has served as a landmark for seafarers.