|
Villafranca’s castle was built in 1185. It is situated in “Corso Vittorio Emanuele.
In 1199, after the battle of Ponte dei Molini in Mantova, the “Big Castle” was started and it was finished in 1202.
Within the walls there were seven towers called “Torresine”. The bases of these towers were built with stones which, in Roman times, were from the “Emperor Tiberian’s Arch”.
There is an interesting reference to the castle in Shakespeare’s work “Romeo and Juliet”.
With the so called “Serraglio” walls built from 1345 to 1355 by Mestino II and then by Cangrande II della Scala, the Castle gained more military importance. Two hundred fifty sentinels kept guard with their fast horses along the “Serraglio”.
Wars almost destroyed the Castle. The “Serenissima” wanted to reconstruct towers, old stairs, merlons and the mill and the furnace were re-opened. After 1450 the Castle was abandoned and later bought by Muzro in 1600. Other owners were A. Alessandri and in 1795 G.B. Simeoni, Count of Villafranca. In 1890 the big tower was re-built and on the top they put a clock.
In 1905 the South Tower fell and it was reconstructed in 1926.
(secondo me manca qualche notizia sulla funzione attuale del castello)
Questa breve introduzione al Castello di Villafranca č stata prodotta/elaborata dal GRUPPO 3 : FACINCANI, TINI. GUERRESI, ANTONACI, ZAMBONI, MORELLI, LOMBARDI, BRETEGANI E RIBEZZO coordinato dalla prof.ssa Lestingi