Entered as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, this medieval village, whose date of foundation dates back to 1100, is perfectly situated on a gentle hill near a natural heart-shaped lake, among the rolling morainic hills of lower Garda.
Surrounded by greenery and nature, it perfectly preserves its centuries-old buildings and also the best culinary traditions typical of the area and the province of Mantua.
The current castle of Castellaro dates back to 1100-1200 and owes its origin to the Scaligeri, although then, because of its strategic location, the border was soon involved in disputes between Verona and Mantua, ending up in possession, from time to time, of the Visconti, the Gonzaga and the Serenissima Republic of Venice.
Erected on a natural high ground to the north of the small lake, the castle, defended by powerful embattled walls and ten towers, was divided into two areas: the one towards the lake entrusted to the castellan and the one towards the north entrusted to a captain with the task of defending the drawbridge entrance to the castle and the fortified village.
From the ancient castle remain, still almost intact, the walls, four towers, some sections of the walkway and two rustic medieval houses.
In 1600 the castle lost its characteristics of defense building and was sold by the Serenissima Republic of Venice to the Arrighi Counts who, without changing too much the external appearance, transformed a part of it in a comfortable and elegant residence.
The entrance to the castle and to the fortified village
The entrance to the castle and to the fortified village is from the north through an arched door, where the structures of the ancient drawbridge have been preserved. The door is flanked by a tower, with a square base, 24 metres high, which was raised in 1600 to become a bell tower.
