Buonconsiglio Castle is the biggest and most important monumental building in the Trentino-Alto Adige region. It is made up of a series of buildings from various eras inside a ring of walls that sit on slightly higher ground than the town. Castelvecchio is the oldest building, and is overlooked by a mighty cylindrical tower; Magno Palazzo was added in the 16th century and reflects the style of the Italian Renaissance, while the baroque Albertian extension was added at the end of the 17th century. At the southernmost point of the complex is Aquila Tower, which is home to the famous Cycle of the Months, one of the most captivating secular pictoral cycles of the Late Medieval period.
Castelvecchio, the oldest part of the Buonconsiglio complex, was built in the first half of the 13th century along the eastern stretch of the city walls, on a rocky mount near the River Adige. It is a solid structure with a façade made from squared stones, with defensive features such as embrasures, a gothic gate reinforced with iron, and an entrance built above the ancient drawbridge. The three series of merlons on the façade mark the stages in building up the structure (between the 14th and 15th centuries).
The Guelph cross windows and, higher up, the portico, makes the architecture more elegant and highlights the transition of the structure to more residential and not only defensive uses.
Trentino Film Commission
Via Giovanni Zanella 10/2 — 38122 Trento
Phone: +39 0461 49 3501/3508
Fax: +39 0461 495460
Email: filmcommission@provincia.tn.it
