Castelvecchio (Verona), Italy

Castelvecchio (Old Castle) known also as the Castle of St. Martins in Aquaro is a medieval castle located in Verona, northern Italy. The castle was built by Cangrande II della Scala between 1354 and 1376 on the probable location of a Roman fortress outside the Roman city. The Castelvecchio was built both as a residential home as well as defensive fortress against foreign invasions and domestic rebellions. The fortified bridge built by Giovanni da Ferrara and Jacopo da Gozo was intended to allow the Della Scala family to escape north to the Tyrol. During the Venetian domination (from 15th to 18th century) was the Castelvecchio used exclusively for military purposes and slits were added for defensive means. In the 18th century the castle became the seat of the Venetian military academy.



The Castelvecchio was damaged during the Napoleonic Wars (1796-1797) and its appearance radically changed. During the Napoleonic as well as Austrian rule Castelvecchio was turned into barracks. In 1923 the castle was restored and in 1925 it became a museum. The castle was damaged during the World War II but it was restored by the architect Carlo Scarpa between 1959 and 1973 and is today open to the public as a museum (Castelvecchio Museum or Museo Civico di Castelvecchio).