Located at the gateway to Val di Sole and overlooking the Torrente Noce, this majestic manor house dominates the nearby town of Caldes. The current architecture of the castle - one of the Castello del Buonconsiglio Museum sites - stems from a merging of the Venetian, German and Lombard cultures that meet here on the border of the Episcopal Principality of Trento. Built between 1230 and 1235, the inner five-storey tower also served as a residence; it was constructed at the behest of Rambaldo and Arnoldo da Cagnò. Together with the Rocca di Samoclevo, it was a crucial Val di Sole control point. The large thirteenth-century five-storey tower house built by the Cagnò family in 1464 was donated to the Thun family, who incorporated the earlier tower into a new square-plan building that echoes the shape of the current castle. During the nineteenth century it was purchased by a local family and is currently owned by the Autonomous Province of Trento, which has restored it as a first-class venue for temporary exhibitions and cultural events.
Restoration and repair of Castel Caldes involved demolition of the 20th century buildings, reorganisation of outdoor areas, construction of new connecting stairways, restoration and construction of new floors and windows and roof maintenance. The fascinating interior features vaulted ceilings, wooden panelling and frescoed rooms. The stanza del conte and ballroom are particularly stunning. Incorporated in the castle complex is a small church, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, built at the end of the 16th century.
Legend has it that the castle was used to imprison a young woman named Olinda (perhaps the countess Maria Elisabetta Thun); locked in a small room by her father Rodemondo to stop her marrying the court minstrel Arunte, she is said to have died of a broken heart.
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