Castello del Buonconsiglio

The impressive Castello del Buonconsiglio, overlooking the town of Trento, is the most important secular monument of the province. Built between 1239 and 1255 on a rocky hill, it was the residence of the prince-bishops of Trento until the secularisation of the episcopate in 1803. The expertise of the best artists and the relentless dedication of the prince-bishops gave rise to its present appearance.

The different buildings of the castle feature the architecture of the time period they were built in and are surrounded by a curtain wall, fortified with cylindrical bastions. Behind the wall there is a fascinating Italian garden you shouldn't miss. The Torre d'Augusto overlooking the whole castle, can be accessed through the inner courtyard of the medieval Castelvecchio, characterised by a series of loggias in Gothic-Venetian style. The Magno Palazzo, a Renaissance building of considerable proportions, was built by the humanist and cardinal Bernardo Clesio.

Since 1973 the castle houses the provincial museum of art also known as "Castello del Buonconsiglio, monumenti e collezioni provinciali". The museum displays numerous art collections including paintings, sculptures, graphic masterpieces, illuminated codes, majolic stoves, as well as archeologic and numismatic collections. The "Ciclo dei Mesi", one of the most remarkable examples of Gothic art in the world, can be admired along with many other baroque and gothic frescoes.