Castello di Soave

Soave Castle occupies a hill above the walled town, surrounded by vineyards. Its crenellated towers, courtyards and keep reflect centuries of control by Verona’s Scaligeri, the Visconti, the Carraresi and Venice. The castle has been privately owned since 1696 and was restored from 1889 by Giulio Camuzzoni and his descendants.

Why it matters

The fortress stands on Colle Tenda, overlooking the route between Verona and Vicenza. It appears in records from the early tenth century and changed hands repeatedly during the conflicts that shaped the Venetian mainland. Its surviving walls and towers dominate the town’s skyline.

What to notice

The entrance at Porta San Giorgio is a gate tower with a drawbridge and a bas-relief of Saint George. Three courtyards lead toward the Mastio, the keep at the highest point. The first courtyard contains the remains of a small, three-apsed church. In the second, known as the Courtyard of the Madonna, a fresco of the Virgin above the gate is dated 1 June 1321. The highest courtyard has a well; bones found there during restoration have led to the suggestion that it once served as a prison.

Near the gate, a fresco dated 1340 shows the Scaliger ladder emblem held by two rampant dogs. Inside the residence, the great fireplace gives the room called La Caminata its name, while a bedroom contains a thirteenth-century fresco of the Crucifixion with the Madonna and Mary Magdalene. A room displays portraits of members of the della Scala family, Dante Alighieri, Taddea da Carrara and Cansignorio. The sentry walk leads to the top of the Mastio.

Context and history

The fortress probably took shape in the early tenth century, during the Hungarian invasions, under Berengario I. The Sambonifacio family were its first recorded feudal lords; Ezzelino da Romano held it from 1226 and the Greppi family from 1237. Mastino I della Scala took the castle in 1271. In 1338, Rolando de’ Rossi briefly captured the Rocca before Mastino II recovered it. Cansignorio della Scala restored the fortress in 1369 and reinforced it in 1375 with the town’s surrounding wall circuit.

The Visconti took control in 1387, the da Carrara in 1404 and Venice in 1405. During the War of the League of Cambrai, imperial troops overran the district; in 1510, townspeople led by Antonio Marogna revolted and returned the fortress to Venice. The Gritti family rented the castle from 1556 and bought it in 1696. Antonio Cristani acquired it in 1830 from the Gritti heirs, and Giulio Camuzzoni began restoring it in 1889.