Polpenazze Castle

Polpenazze Castle, locally known as Castello di Polpenazze, lies in the village of Polpenazze del Garda, in the Brescia province in the Lombardy region in Italy.

Like most other castles in this area, Polpenazze Castle was built during the 10th century as a refuge for the locals in a reaction to raids of Hungarians frequenting the area. In Italian, these kinds of refuge castles are called a 'ricetto'.

In the 15th century the castle was demolished and rebuilt. Later the Venetians took over and they also contributed to its present appearance. Unfortunately, only part of the western wall with the tower has survived to this day. The remains were integrated into the construction of a parish church and one of the towers was converted into a bell tower.

Today Polpenazze Castle is the heart of the village, inside its walls are the town hall, library, and the parish church. In the 2000s the castle remains were restored and from the courtyard one has a beautiful view over Lake Garda.

Polpenazze del Garda is situated in an area called Valtènesi. This area roughly encompasses the hilly lowland between the southwest bank of Lake Garda and the mountains. During the 10th and 11th century several settlements in Valtènesi built similar castles as Polpenazze; like Bedizzole, Carzago, Moniga, Padenghe, Puegnago and Soiano. So, if you like castles, this is surely an area to visit.

Gallery