A small valley dotted with more than two hundred castles due to its strategic position connecting the Po Valley with the Brenner Pass, a veritable gateway to the great North. Among these manors, that of Bianzano, dating back to the 13th century, is one of the most fascinating and mysterious, from which one can admire a splendid panorama and follow the Templar traces scattered throughout the building. One can also discover the medieval hamlet that rises around the castle, a small jewel with a characteristic “comet star” shape.
In the centre of the village of Bianzano stands an ancient castle whose history is still partly shrouded in mystery: a square building whose corners are aligned with the four cardinal points. Two walls, the remains of which can still be seen today, surround the structure at the centre of which stands an imposing keep.
What saved this castle from destruction during the period of the Venetian Republic was the intuition of the Suardi family, who decided to remove the battlements from the walls to make it look as much like a residence as possible and not a fort. Their coat of arms can still be seen today on the entrance portal to the castle.
Following the marriage of Bernarda Visconti and Giovanni Suardi in 1367, the coat of arms of the Suardi family came up beside that one of the Visconti family. Consequently, the castle was enriched with frescoes depicting the cardinal virtues, geometric motifs, and a series of small putti and black lozenges.
Guarded by the walls of this castle are the “flowers of life“, a symbol of Templar tradition, as well as the curious cross-shaped clefts. Whether the castle of Bianzano was controlled by these knights has yet to be proven, and many mysteries remain unrevealed…
Around the castle then radiates the medieval village of Bianzano, set on a natural terrace overlooking the lake, where you can stroll into the past among fascinating loggias, small hidden courtyards, and old wells, where time seems to stand still.
Perhaps if we could go back, we would discover something more about the mysterious symbols hidden within the walls at the centre of the village…
…and so, since 1997, the festival Rievocazione Storica Medievale: “Alla Corte dei Suardo” (Recalling Mediaeval History: “At the Court of the Suardo”), created to enhance the village’s past, has been presenting it to the public, accompanying it in a rich programme with shows and cultural proposals linked to local traditions.
DETAILS OF INTEREST:
– Castle (private) with ecological relaxation walk
– frescoed entrance hall
VISIT INFORMATION:
– Visits by reservation only with a guide inside the Castle and according to the calendar of scheduled openings displayed by the Municipality of Bianzano.
– Visits can also be booked for groups of at least 10 people on dates other than those scheduled.
– Visit duration: approx. 60′
– Parking: YES (bus parking is allowed on the square near the roundabout at the entrance to the village; it is not possible to enter the historic village by bus).
– Picnic facilities in the area outside the castle perimeter.
Promotional material provided by the cultural and tourist association Associazione culturale e turistica Pro Bianzano.
