Castello di Drugolo, Medieval castle in Lonato del Garda, Italy.
Castello di Drugolo, also called Castell'Averoldi, stands isolated on the hills near Lake Garda. It has a square plan with two corner towers on a tall battered base wall, surrounded by perimeter walls enclosing the 12th-century church of San Michele. Its Ghibelline battlements are perhaps of Lombard origin.
The castle was rebuilt by the Gritti family at the end of the 14th century on the ruins of a previous medieval castle, possibly of Lombard origin. In 1409 Pandolfo III Malatesta granted it as a fief to Malagnino da Padenghe, who passed it to the Guarini brothers and then in 1411 to the Vimercati family. After their rebellion, Malatesta confiscated it in 1414 and sold it for 400 gold ducats to the municipality of Padenghe. In 1436 the Vimercati sold it to Giovanni Averoldi for 1600 florins and 36 imperial soldi.
The castle takes its alternate name, Castell'Averoldi, from the Averoldi family, who bought it in 1436 and rebuilt it in 1498 and 1575. Within the perimeter walls stands the 12th-century church of San Michele, which was under the parish of Bedizzole and the Diocese of Brescia.
The castle stands isolated on the hills a short distance from Lake Garda, north of Lonato del Garda, and is reached from the village of Drugolo. It is a private property and cannot be entered; the perimeter walls and the church of San Michele, which stands inside them, are what can be seen from outside.
In the 18th century, Giulio Antonio II Averoldi launched a major drainage project of the surrounding lands. His efforts also aimed to remove bandits from the region and make the area safer.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,692 contributors worldwide.