The Castles

Castel San Giovanni | BondoneOnly accessible on foot either via the gravel track from the car park (15 minutes) or on the footpath from Baitoni, near to the Miralago car park (20-30 minutes).

Its position on a rocky outcrop looking down on the water of Lake Idro suggests that it may have been built on the site of a Roman castle. As with other castles in the Valle del Chiese run by the Lodron counts, the military aspect was clearly more important than its role as a residence. Built from granite from the quarries some way away in Daone, the castle fell into ruins as a result of the local population regularly raiding it for the precious building materials. Today the castle is owned by the Comune di Bondone and is in excellent condition with recent restoration work having returned it to its original appearance.

Castel Romano | Por Pieve di Bono PrezzoCastel Romano was built in the 12th century to control the road between Brescia and Sella Giudicarie. The mighty rectangular tower, which dominates the Chiese valley, is a testament to how important this fortress was in strategic terms. It fell into a gradual decline when the Counts Lodron moved their seat of power to other parts of Trentino, Austria, and Bavaria. It even suffered the ignominy of being converted into a hay barn in the early 20th century. During World War I, it was badly damaged by cannon fire and it also bears other scars from its eventful history, such as the bloody battles between Milan and Venice and its many sub-plots (15th century), the change to a bishop’s fiefdom, and occupation by Garibaldi’s troops (1866). Of the frescoes which once covered the residential rooms, unfortunately only one remains dating from the 1400s, depicting a clash between soldiers. But the castle still has much charm and interest to offer, perhaps because of the legends that are linked to it, the most famous of which says that countess Dina Lodron used to invite the most handsome young men in the land to the castle and kill them. Fortunately, a priest was able to deliver justice and rid the community of this evil presence, by slaying the countess.