Buonconsiglio Castle in Trento - a trip through the castles of Trentino

This castle was originally built to control the road leading to Germany and later became the residence of the prince‑bishops before and after the famous Council of Trent. A true symbol of the city, it is one of Trento’s most important monuments and was the prestigious residence of Cardinal Bernardo Cles in the 16th century. It is also remembered as the place where many Italians were imprisoned and executed during the First World War. Today, the castle houses the Monuments Museum, the Provincial Collections, the Historical Museum of Trento and the Archaeological Heritage Office.

The castle represents both the temporal power of Trentino’s prince‑bishops and the Italian identity of the city of Trento. It has been the setting of major historical events: from the conflicts with the Counts of Tyrol to the Council of Trent, from the Napoleonic occupation to the execution of the Trentino patriots Cesare Battisti, Damiano Chiesa and Fabio Filzi, and finally to the birth of the Autonomous Province of Trento. Thanks to its rich and refined architecture, it is considered one of the most important urban fortresses in Italy.

The castle overlooks the city from a rocky spur and consists of two main sections: Castelvecchio, the oldest part of medieval origin, built in Romanesque‑Gothic style from the 13th century around the Augustus Tower; and the Renaissance Magno Palazzo, built by Prince‑Bishop Bernardo Cles in the 16th century. In the 17th century, Prince‑Bishop Francesco Alberti Poia added the Giunta Albertiana, linking Castelvecchio with the Magno Palazzo. Venetian artists such as Marcello Fogolino, Gerolamo Romanino and the Dossi brothers frescoed many parts of the castle during the Renaissance.

The heart of Castelvecchio is the courtyard with its three‑storey loggias, while the Magno Palazzo centres around the chapel with its Olympian deities and the Domus Orationis. The Giunta Albertiana contains the sumptuous Chamber of the Black Fireplace and the Audience Room. Also noteworthy are the loggia designed by Alessandro Longhi and the Baroque stuccoes by Giuseppe Alberti.

Famous throughout Europe is the fresco cycle known as the Ciclo dei Mesi (Cycle of the Months), painted in the early 15th century by an anonymous Bohemian master, probably identified as Wenceslaus, on commission from Prince‑Bishop George of Liechtenstein. The frescoes depict medieval life month by month, contrasting the splendour of the courts with the daily struggle of rural life. The Ciclo dei Mesi is located in the Torre Aquila (Eagle Tower).

Buonconsiglio Castle belongs to the Autonomous Province of Trento and houses the Monuments Museum, the Museum of the Provincial Collections, the Historical Museum of Trento and the Archaeological Heritage Office.