Castel Telvana
Castel Telvana dominates the historic town of Borgo Valsugana
The history of Castel Telvana merges with that of Borgo Valsugana, called Ausugum in ancient times, then Borgum Ausugi, an important Roman fortress dominating the Via Claudia Augusta Altinate. It can be reached by travelling a small, picturesque Medieval road called sentiero dei castelli (castle pathway), that leading out from the town centre of Borgo passes over the slopes of mount Ciolino, and goes up to the rear of the Castle from where you can admire the entire Valsugana valley.
The primitive nucleus of the Castle, going back to the 13th century, was built around a single square watchtower, 5 m per side and reaching a height of 26 m. The position of this tower is quite interesting, similar to that of the upper rocky promontory of Arco: in fact one of the diagonal lines is parallel with and the other is perpendicular to the directional axes of the valley. According to one document the Castle was destroyed by the Franks in 590 A.D. while other sources speak of this event in late Medieval times. In 1665 it was burned down and was then re-built as a baron's residence. Two orders of bastions protected it: one high curtain acted as a support for the garrisons, while the other lower one served as outpost for the defence troops.
Not open to visitors.
