Noarna Castle

Admire the Michelangelo-school frescoes of the main stairway and of the winter garden, then enjoy the excellent wines of the “Castel Noarna” winery.

Most likely born as a fortress in the Roman era, Noarna Castle has dominated Vallagarina since the 11th century. In those times the Castelnuovo fief already included the towns of Noarna, Castellano and Pomarolo.

The castle’s history is fascinating: in 1486 the powerful Lodron family seized it from the Castelbarco family and transformed it from a defensive fortress into being mainly used as a manor house. Under the dominion of Nicolò Lodron, Castel Noarna took on its current appearance. He was the one who realized the new residential sectors of the castle, the frescoes of the main stairway and those of the winter garden.

The structure with its fortified tower, the fortresses and the Guelph crenellations, dates back to the 18th century. The watch tower is the castle’s first point of entry; it was used to check the wooden drawbridge. Inside are the fortified tower with the main tower, two guard areas and the prisons where various women of the valley were held during the famous witch trials of Nogaredo (1646-1647).

You can access the Chapel from the courtyard and admire “L’incoronazione della Vergine con i Santi Nicola e Francesco (The Coronation of the Virgin with St. Nicolas and St. Francis)”. The altarpiece, dating back to 1580, portrays St. Nicolos in bishop’s robes with a miter and staff. Notice also the precious wooden loggia decorated with floral patterns. Ever from the courtyard, you can also access the gallery from the vaulted ceiling frescoed with the coats of arms of the Lodron, Castellalto and Arco families. The atrium of honor is a rare example of a partial pictorial copy of the vaulted ceiling in the style of Michelangelo, dating back to the second-half of the 1500s. Among the subjects portrayed, you can admire a view of Vallagarina from the south toward the north: Castel Noarna, Castel Pietra and Castel Beseno with two knights in the foreground.

The castle, surrounded by vineyards, is only 2.5 kilometers from the Rovereto Nord autostrada exit and 6 kilometers from the center of Rovereto. Its winery produces 35,000 bottles per year.