Castle of Montegalda
The origins of the castle of Montegalda are uncertain. The only certain date is 1176 when the Commune of Vicenza asked Ottone, Lord of Montegalda, to sell his property for the construction of a military fortress to defend the territory of Vicenza against the attacks of Padua.
In the first half of the 13th century, the castle was conquered by Ezzelino III da Romano, while in 1266, the castle passed to Padua, and later, to the powerful Della Scala family, Lords of Verona. The Della Scala family crest is a ladder, which is still visible above the 14th-century drawbridge, which is perfectly preserved and still functioning.
At the end of the 14th century the castle passed to the Visconti family, Lords of Milan. When the Venetian Republic began its dominance in 1404, the castle lost its military function and gradually became a noble villa. In the middle of the 15th century, the castle was donated to the Chiericati family of Vicenza and then sold, in subsequent centuries, to the noble Venetian Contarini, Donà, Grimani and Marcello families. The castle of Montegalda become their summer residence.
Its interior rooms still contain frescoes by Andrea Urbani, an 18th-century Venetian landscape painter and decorator. The castle's statues are, instead, from the workshop of Orazio Marinali, a Vicenza sculptor.
Its interior rooms still contain frescoes by Andrea Urbani, an 18th-century Venetian landscape painter and decorator. The castle's statues are, instead, from the workshop of Orazio Marinali, a Vicenza sculptor.
Over the centuries, the park was embellished cypress and exotic trees, a lemon house and a beautiful Italian garden. The Sorlini family, the castle's current owners, bought the complex in the mid 1970s and, after careful restoration, brought the castle back to its former splendour.
