CastelBrando, Cison di Valmarino, Italy

CastelBrando, former Castrum Costae, is a medieval castle situated on a dolomite limestone rock overlooking the villages of Cison di Valmarino and Valmareno. 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. The original castrum, dating from 46 AD is still visible today. 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. Their architectural additions included surrounding the castle with imposing Guelph-Ghibelline style battlements and building a central tower.

The Castle's ownership then passed over to the Republic of Venice. 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. The chapel was decorated internally with frescoes painted by Egidio Dall'Oglio (18th century).

During World War I, the castle was invaded by Imperial Austrian forces and used as a military hospital. 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. CastelBrando has now been extensively restored and now houses a 4-star hotel, museum and a theatre. Visitors can get up to the castle by funicular railway from the village.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

David Roseman (25 days ago)
I would rate it zero stars if I could. Pretty location, but everything else was awful. Super hard beds (nothing like going to a spa hotel only to have the bed wreck your back), sparsely equipped rooms (e.g., no coffee maker, no bathrobes, very little storage), rude/condescending staff, abysmal signage (seriously, good luck finding anything there), plus a wedding ceremony held just outside and under our room until very late made it even more trying and the exact opposite of relaxing. Seriously, the amount of screaming from the wedding made it feel like the Game of Thrones Red Wedding was being recreated below us. This place was the opposite of luxurious: the "wellness area" was a joke and overcrowded/overpriced and the formal restaurant was closed, so only a pizzeria for dinner. Only stayed one night and canceled the following night, so we could go to a comfortable hotel that actually respects its guests and has value for the money. Honestly not even worth visiting to see the castle grounds. Traveler beware.

Vlado ST (33 days ago)
Indeed a beautiful castle. I have a beautiful view of the hill of Hill. All recommendations. 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.

Johny B (40 days ago)
Very nice castle .under is great parking for car and there is an entry to cable car for 1 e up to castle .up there is bars and restaurants.so I really recommend with lovely view

Jeroen Hutten (2 months ago)
I've been here with the culture and pizza tour. It simply was one of the most impressive castle experiences I've had. The tour is very detailed and takes you through the entire castle. The castle is nowadays restored in a mix between autenticity and a modern hotel/restaurant. The lighting inside and outside of this castle is simply amazing. The view is great and the pizza was the best I had this holiday! A small tip, it's also possible to view the inside of the walls for free. You only have to pay €1 for the lift taking you up the hill.

Hasret Belet Michieletti (5 months ago)
It has 4*star hotel, different cafes , restaurants and a pizzeria. Open air cafes I liked the most.There’re guided tours inside the castle and if you park down, you can use the funicular for 1€ . You can visit even just for a sightseeing

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright jl.cernadas

Historic Site of the week

Roman Walls of Lugo

Roman Walls of Lugo are an exceptional architectural, archaeological and constructive legacy of Roman engineering, dating from the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. The Walls are built of internal and external stone facings of slate with some granite, with a core filling of a conglomerate of slate slabs and worked stone pieces from Roman buildings, interlocked with lime mortar.

Their total length of 2117 m in the shape of an oblong rectangle occupies an area of 1.68 ha. Their height varies between 8 and 10 m, with a width of 4.2 m, reaching 7 m in some specific points. The walls still contain 85 external towers, 10 gates (five of which are original and five that were opened in modern times), four staircases and two ramps providing access to the walkway along the top of the walls, one of which is internal and the other external. Each tower contained access stairs leading from the intervallum to the wall walk of town wall, of which a total of 21 have been discovered to date.

The defences of Lugo are the most complete and best preserved example of Roman military architecture in the Western Roman Empire.

Despite the renovation work carried out, the walls conserve their original layout and the construction features associated with their defensive purpose, with walls, battlements, towers, fortifications, both modern and original gates and stairways, and a moat.

Since they were built, the walls have defined the layout and growth of the city, which was declared a Historical-Artistic Ensemble in 1973, forming a part of it and becoming an emblematic structure that can be freely accessed to walk along. The local inhabitants and visitors alike have used them as an area for enjoyment and as a part of urban life for centuries.

The fortifications were added to UNESCO"s World Heritage List in late 2000 and are a popular tourist attraction.

Do you know an ancient castle or magnificent church near you?

Why not share it with other people interested in history? You can add your own historic sites and attractions to SpottingHistory.com.

It's absolutely free, easy, and doesn't even need registration!

Upload data

CastelBrando

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Rhodes, The Island of Knights

Great Spa Towns of Europe

History of Guernsey & Jersey

Historic Site of the week

Roman Walls of Lugo

Looks like you are a history fan!