Castello di Montorio, Medieval castle in Montorio district, Verona, Italy.
Castello di Montorio consists of the remains of a medieval castrum first laid out in the 10th century on Roman foundations and completed in the 1120s, plus a large 19th-century artillery battery. Inside the smaller northern enclosure stands the tall keep, built of squared tuff blocks on a marble base, with a brick upper storey and projecting elements added by the Scaligeri in 1360-1380. A closed 12th-century tower of rough tuff stands near the east corner.
The castle's medieval castrum dates to the 10th century and was completed in the second decade of the 12th century on Roman remains. In the second half of the 14th century the Scaliger family strengthened it and added the bastia. Abandoned in the Venetian era and already ruined by the 18th century, it was partly demolished in the 19th century, when a large Austrian battery was built into its walls.
The castle's name comes from the hill of Montorio Veronese, the last ridge projecting south over the plain. The site is open year-round, including guided tours and events, and the restored powder magazine has been functional since 2010. The external guardhouse on the northern slope is now a farmhouse.
Only the large courtyard is open to the public, entered through the 19th-century gateway; the rest of the castle is fenced off. The powder magazine and the medieval walls and towers of the keep were restored in 2010. The keep can be visited all year, including on guided walks and during events.
The Austrians demolished most of the medieval southern and eastern walls of the outer bailey to make room for artillery positions; only the base walls remain. The powder magazine was restored and made functional in 2010, and the medieval walls and towers of the keep have also been restored.
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