Palazzo Besta is a Renaissance building in Teglio. It was built by the Besta family around 1433, commissioned by Azzo I and Azzo II Besta, perhaps over a pre-existing medieval edifice. Later it was owned by the Guicciardi, Quadrio and Parravicini families. It is now owned by the government of the province of Lombardy.
The interior has a rectangular court with a double loggia, frescoed walls (c. 1540-1630) and an octagonal well. In the first floor, all the rooms are frescoed with mythological themes, most of them from the Aeneid, the Orlando Furioso and the Bible. One, by Giuseppe Prina, portrays the Queen of Sheba received by King Solomon.
In the lower ground is housed the 'Antiquarium Tellinum' Museum, housing prehistorical slabs.
References:The Gravensteen is a castle in Ghent originating from the Middle Ages. The name means 'castle of the counts' in Dutch. Arnulf I (918–965), Count of Flanders, was the first to fortify this place, building a medieval bastion on this high sand dune, naturally protected by the river Leie and its marshy banks. This bastion consisted of a central wooden building and several surrounding buildings, also in wood.
In the early 11th century, the wooden building was replaced by a stone residence, consisting of three large halls that made up three storeys, connected by a stone stairwell. The monumental stone staircase, the light openings, the fireplaces built into the walls and the latrines were signs of considerable luxury and comfort in those days. There was probably also a tower.