Castello di Bevilacqua

Bevilacqua Castle was built in 1336 by Guglielmo Bevilacqua and completed by his son Francesco on behalf of the Scaligeri, Lords of Verona. It was conceived as a fortress to defend against neighboring lordships (Carrara and Este). The Castle was damaged at the time of the Cambrai League and lost its defensive purposes during the rule of the Venetian Republic. The building was arranged in 1532 by the architect Sanmicheli, who transformed it into a noble residence. In 1756 Gaetano Ippolito Bevilacqua restored and modernized the interior of the Manor, obtaining the great halls of the first floor. It was not even a century that the building was set on fire by the Austrian army. The Castle was restored on several occasions by the Countess Felicita Bevilacqua, and was embellished with crenellations. The whole complex acquired an image according to the neo-Gothic taste of the time. The heritage of the Castle was left to charity the Foundation "Bevilacqua - The Masa", which would turn it, after a few years, as "Asylum of Stillness Bevilacqua - The Masa", a hospice for the elderly and needy. During the Second World War it was occupied by the Germans as a command post and transmissions; after the end of the war, the building became the Salesian College until 1966, when, for the explosion of a boiler, it was destroyed again by the flames. Purchased by Cerato family in 1990, the building was transformed into location for private events.