Hi friends, how are you? This past Sunday was a very productive Sunday because after a long time I finally managed to visit the famous castle of the catajo which is located in the town of Battaglia Terme in the province of Padua.
Follow me in this post because I will try to tell you about my experience in this visit.
In reality this complex is called a castle but in the end it is a large private residence built between 1570 and 1573 thanks to a leader of the Republic of Venice.
It is truly impressive to enter this complex which was built by the architect Andrea da Valle.
As you can see from the first photos, the entrance is very scenic and very impactful.
This whole complex was built as the private residence of the mother of this leader who was called Pio Enea, think of a complex of more than 300 rooms that cannot actually be visited due to the fact that it is currently a private residence so it can only be visited externally.
This beautiful residence was transformed into a fortress during the nineteenth century, in fact after being in the hands of the Este who were the lords of Modena, it passed to the Habsburgs who unfortunately transferred much of what was inside the Castle to Vienna.
The last owner who still lives in this residence is the Dalla Francesca family who have become the sole owner of this property since 1930.
It is incredible to think that the courtyard you saw in the previous photo was used by the family who owned this property,being very scenographic for theatrical performances but also for naval battles In fact it could be completely filled with water.
It is really a shame not to see the interior rooms because they were frescoed by the artist Belotti who was practically part of the Veronese workshop, one of the most important painters of the time.
A guide present in the place told me that part of the rooms inside are still to be restored as being numerous it is a nice expense to be borne by the family but I must say that the outside is in perfect condition.
I don't think I've seen any such beautiful place even around Europe.
However, what I recommend if you come to visit these places is to take the guide to better understand the history and how life took place inside this complex.
I studied a little everything before leaving home in order to arrive at the place very prepared.
There is also the possibility to park the car very close to the price of € 1 while the guided tour costs more or less € 13.
A price from my point of view accessible to almost everyone.
Currently part of this residence has been transformed into a restaurant to host events and weddings.