The castle in the history of the Vallagarina between the 11th and 15th Centuries

Already by the 11th Century, Castelnuovo di Noarna dominated the Vallagarina valley with its imposing presence, having been rebuilt from its own ruins after a probable previous life as a fortification during the Roman era. Its inhabitants went by the same name as the castle and had possession of it during the strife-ridden era of the wars between the Guelfi and Ghibellini. In Vallagarina in 1177, due to the assassination of Adalpreto, prince-bishop of Trento, violent armed clashes broke out in which Castel Noarna was seriously damaged, along with other fortresses and castles in the valley.
In that period the Castelnuovo fiefdom already encompassed the communities of Noarna, Castellano and Pomarolo.
At the end of 1200, the Castelnuovo family fell from power for unknown reasons and the castle passed to the Castelbarco family, one of the most important families of the principality of Trento, whose fiefdoms at the time included nearly all of the Vallagarina, holdings in the city of Trento, the castle of Sabbionara D’Avio and territories in the vicinity of Verona and Belluno.
The castle subsequently passed to the Lodron family in 1456 after a long dispute with the Castelbarcos that involved first hand the Republic of Venice, which became guarantor and supported the Lodrons in order to guarantee future support in the valley.
In the meantime the Castel Noarna fiefdom was further extended and comprised all the hill country to the right of the Adige, from Reviano to Aldeno.
A key character in the history of the Lodron family was Nicolò who, appointed to the fief in 1532, married Gentilia Contessa d’Arco with whom he had a son by the name Gasparo, and a second marriage to Beatrice di Castellalto, who bore him Paride and Susanna. Under his direction the castle took on its present appearance, transforming the fort previously used for defense into a noble residence. Nicolò Lodron had new residential wings constructed for the castle, as well as the frescoes in the main staircase and those of the winter garden.
Paride (1586-1653), son of Nicolò, became prince-bishop of Salzburg in 1606. During his tenure the construction of Salzburg Cathedral was completed under the guidance of master architect Santino Solari. Solari was summoned to Villalagarina for the construction of the Chapel of San Ruperto, a small masterpiece decorated with precious stuccowork and frescoes in the Baroque style. Massimiliano Lodron, nephew of Nicolò, was responsible for the series of battle frescoes that are located in the stuba magna, and in fact we see reproduced the coats-of-arms of Lodron, his wife Sibilla Fugger and his mother, Anna Berka.
The frescoes were created in memory of the financial assistance given by the Fuggers to the Spanish Crown. The Lodron family held control of the jurisdiction of Castelnuovo – Castellano until 1826, and in 1842 gave up their feudal rights.
After 1876 the Lodron family, which until that time resided in the Castle, changed its residential seat to the Nogaredo palace, using the castle only as a summer residence. It is said that during that period the mother of Emperor William II frequently stayed in the castle in the autumn. Towards the end of the century the castle was definitively abandoned and the furniture was transferred to the Nogaredo palace.

Architecture and frescoes

As previously mentioned, the castle dates back – as a fortress – to the 6-7th Centuries, while the first documented information about the Castelnuovo fortress appears in 1177. The foundation of the present structure (tower, fortifications, and Guelfic crenellation) dates back to the 13th Century.
The watchtower is the initial entry point to the castle, and served to control the wooden drawbridge. Past the tower, following the trenches, one arrives at the second watch post, consisting of a wooden door and a window with metal grate, next to which one sees a crenellated wall and the signs of the interior patrol trench.
Inside the castle we see the keep, a fundamental element of the defensive structure of a castle, formed by the main tower decorated with Guelfic crenellation, two guardrooms, and the prisons.
On the walls which surround the keep - the only part unaltered by subsequent restructuring - we see the Renaissance era round arches in red stone inserted into the walls, testifying to the pre-existing Medieval structures.
From the keep courtyard we can access the chapel. Inside we find a square apse with fully rounded windows. The apse and the nave have cross-vaulting. Of considerable importance is the “Coronation of the Virgin with Saint Nicholas and Saint Francis” altar piece which dates back to 1580. In this piece Saint Nicholas is represented in bishop’s dress with miter and staff; the three golden orbs he holds symbolize the alms given by the saint. The step of the altar is decorated with scenes from the life of the saint.
Saint Francis is turned towards the scene of the Coronation of the Virgin. His connections with Saint Nicholas, protector of the oppressed, explain his presence. It is dedicated to Saint Nicholas both in honor of Nicolò Lodron, father of Gasparo who commissioned it, and because Saint Nicholas appears as the protector against the plagues which affected the area.
The altar piece has been attributed to Paolo Naurizio, a painter who operated in the Trento region and who navigated between Venetian culture introduced by Jacopo and Francesco da Bassano and Nordic inspiration. Another important painting, “The Coronation of the Virgin and the Patron Saints of the City,” is actually on display in the Museum of the Diocese of Trento.
The precious wooden loggia decorated with floral motifs should also be noted.
Continuing from the courtyard of the keep one can access the gallery, where we find an unbroken framework-frescoed vault with on one side a banner with festoons, putti, busts, and coats-of-arms from the Lodron, Castellalto and Arco families, and on the other with rustic characters that represent mythological episodes tied to the cult of Apollo. The creator of these frescoes is still unknown.
A Gothic door connects the gallery to the frescoed vault. The Hall of Honor is a rare example of a partial copy of the ceiling by Michelangelo, and dates back to the second half of the 1500s. At the center of the vault we can see the Creation of the Stars and Planets, The Separation of Light and Darkness, and a nude figure. In the two lower bands are two rows of prophets and sibyls. In the lunettes we see chivalrous and heroic scenes set in our valleys. In particular the lunette next to the Gothic door allows us to admire a view of the Vallagarina from the south to the north: Castel Noarna, Castel Pietra and Castel Beseno, with two mounted soldiers in the foreground.
The vault has been attributed to Giovan Battista Cavalieri (born in 1525 in Villalagarina, died in 1601 in Rome), an important and famous engraver who divided his time between Rome and the Trento region; he is also well know for a reproduction of the Last Judgement by Michelangelo.
On the upper floor we find the Stuba Magna which contains a cycle of frescoes composed of 24 scenes which portray the wars of independence and religion of the Netherlands. This cycle was taken from a series of Geschichtblaetter, which were produced in the studio of the Flemish artist Franz Hogensberg. These historical folios acted as a kind of documentary about the relevant events of the era; those from the Hogensberg studio became famous for the accuracy of the descriptions and the swiftness with which they were created following the events described. They were also accompanied by brief rhyming comments.
The frescoes were created for the occasion of the wedding between Massimiliano Lodron (son of Gasparo Lodron and Anna Berka) and Sibilla Fugger, in 1602. The Fuggers were actually important financiers of the military efforts of the Spanish Crown. In this room, in fact, we can see the coats-of-arms of the Lodron, Berka, and Fugger families.
The wooden lacunar ceiling should also be noted, with its floral decorations.

The Witches of Nogaredo

It is 1646. In the plaza of Nogaredo, Mercuria accuses Domenica of theft and calls her a witch; for this reason the two women are imprisoned in the castle’s cells. Their hair is cut as a sign of the accusations held against them.
Mercuria, also accused of witchcraft, confirms that Domenica and her daughter had instructed her how to become a witch, holding the consecrated host under her tongue after communion and printing the sign of the devil on her shoulder.
Following these accusations, the imprisoned women are tortured during interrogations. The torture practiced in those years consisted of “rope treatment,” or hanging a person from their hands until tendons and bones were broken, and the “sibyls,”” in which the bones in the hand were broken with wooden wedges between the fingers.
During this torture Mercuria admits to being a witch, attending witches’ Sabbaths with other women in the area, and practicing healing with satanic unguents and pulverized bones from the dead. She also claims to have had relations with a wizard named Delaito. Following these interrogations Mercuria is released.
Domenica Chemella and her daughter Lucia, however, remain imprisoned. They belong to a rather low social class, and Domenica often makes visits to the Lodron’s court to sell crayfish caught in the Adige river.
During torture Lucia describes how she and the others bewitched one Cristoforo Sparamani: transformed as cats they entered his room at night and sprinkled him with an unguent given to them by the devil himself; then, having resumed their human form, they celebrated with supplies taken from the kitchen (bread, cheese, and a jug of wine). The devil often joined them in these celebrations either in human form or as a goat.
Following these interrogations, other women in the jurisdiction of Castel Noarna and Castellano (Zenevra, Caterina, Benvenuta) are imprisoned. Domenica, Lucia and the others, reduced by the torture, admit everything the judges accuse them of: other details of the Sabbath emerge, as well as recipes for magic potions, etc.
The trial goes on for a year, involving dozens of people from all of the Vallagarina villages. In the final phase of the trial the defense attorney Marco Antonio Bertelli from Nomi points out how the interrogations were carried out incorrectly; he has the women examined by doctors, who determine that none of them carry diabolic markings on their bodies, and he declares that the women are guilty to a lesser degree since they are “fragile, imbecile in intellect, ignorant, gullible, and easily subjugated.
However, despite this defense, the Lodron want to appear resolute; the women are found guilty and 5 of them are condemned to decapitation and burning at the stake, a sentence which is carried out by Ludovico Oberdorfer, an executioner from Merano, with all of the inhabitants of the jurisdiction in mandatory attendance.
In this trial a man is also convicted: Santo Graziadei, who later dies in prison in 1651.