Castel Telvana
CASTEL TELVANA BORGO VALSUGANA Located in a scenic position, above the historic town of Borgo Valsugana, it dominates the entire valley. The castle is usually identified with the fortress of Alsuca taken in 590, according to Paolo Diacono, the historian of the Longobards. Castel Telvana had an important strategic role along the Roman military way, the Via Claudia Augusta Altinate, which supposedly ran on the mountainside (Telve di Sopra Torcegno). The original nucleus (13th century), erected directly on the mountain rock, was grouped around an unusual square-plan watch tower: only 5 metres square, but 26 metres high. Its angle is unusual, similar to that of the upper fortress of Arco: the diagonals, in fact, are one parallel and the other perpendicular to the axis of the valley. The purpose, in this case, is not to act as a windbreak, but to exploit visibility as far as possible. A double system of curtain walls, the tops of which have been demolished in the meantime, protected the baronial manor: the upper higher walls protected the garrison, while the lower was an artillery defense. The wall, sections of which are very thick, feature traces of the primitive crenellations and of a wall walk. Next to the large quadrangle, there is another enceinte, further down, built in the 16th century by the Welsperg, who had established their jurisdiction over the castle. This space is dominated by the tower so-called of the "Gasperetti", from the name of the family made to build it, with the work (and the money) of its male members. It may be visited only from the outside.
Information
Telephone 0461.593322 APT Lagorai, Valsugana Orientale e Tesino