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Castelvecchio, an imposing medieval castle in Verona
- Category What see Lake Garda and Verona
Castelvecchio and its Museum, one of the most beautiful monuments in the city of Verona
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Castelvecchio
Castelvecchio is one of the most beautiful monuments in the city of Verona. The castle overlooks the banks of the Adige and was built between 1354 and 1356 by Prince Cangrande II della Scala. Initially its name was Castello di San Martino in Aquaro, but it was changed to Castello Vecchio when a new, much larger castle was built on the top of the San Pietro hill.
Castelvecchio appears as a huge fortress consisting of seven corner towers and its military aspect stands out to the eye, highlighted by the battlements that adorn all the walls. The castle was in fact used for military purposes until 1926, when it became the seat of the Civic Museum.
The complex is divided into two parts: on the left, coming from via Roma, there is the Reggia degli Scaligeri, protected by a narrow courtyard with a double order of walls, while on the right side of the structure there is a large rectangular courtyard with a in the center is a curious fountain in the shape of a dog, a Scaligerian symbol of fidelity. At the center of the castle is the Torre del Mastio from which the fortified Scaligero bridge with three arches develops. Over time, the castle has held various functions: under the Venetian domination it was used as an arsenal and garrison, in the Napoleonic period its structure was modified and finally with the Austrians it became a barracks for the occupying troops. In January 1944 Castelvecchio hosted the famous Verona trial which marked the death sentence of Galeazzo Ciano and the fascist hierarchs who had Mussolini deposed.
Currently the castle houses, as already mentioned, the Civic Museum which was the subject of a new restoration until 1964 and a museum rearrangement curated by the great Venetian architect Carlo Scarpa. The exhibition itinerary that is located inside, winds through the rooms of the castle and takes visitors on a journey through the history and art of Verona, starting with the rooms dedicated to medieval sculpture and then continuing with a series of paintings that they begin from the fourteenth century - the century of the great cultural flowering of the Scaligeri lordship - at the end of the eighteenth century. Among the most important objects preserved in the museum are the sword and the equestrian statue of Cangrande I, but also the figure of Mastino II on horseback.
What makes Castelvecchio fascinating are above all the walkways of the castle that allow you to look at Verona from above and admire it, while overlooking the Adige, in all its splendor.
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