Breno Castle, Medieval castle on hilltop in Breno, Italy

Breno Castle stands on a hill at the centre of Breno, its walls enclosing 0.525 hectares about 120 metres above the town. The civil buildings date from the 12th century: the two-storey palatium, now destroyed, the adjacent tower of some twenty metres originally crowned with Guelph merlons, and the casatorre. Curved fortifications on the south side, built without sharp corners to resist firearms, date from the Venetian period.

The castle site shows human settlement from Neolithic times onward, as revealed by archaeological finds. A medieval fortress was later built here to control the valley for centuries.

The church of San Michele Arcangelo, protector of the Lombards, was first built in the 9th century and enlarged into a Romanesque church around the 12th century. It was later demolished during an expansion of the castle, and only its foundations remain visible today. Five tombs, one of them a child's, were found at the site.

The castle stands on a hill about 120 metres above the town, with walls enclosing 0.525 hectares. Access is through a tower-gate, and the south side keeps the curved Venetian fortifications built without sharp corners to resist firearms. The climb is on foot; allow time for the ascent and wear shoes suited to uneven stone paths.

Excavations at the site uncovered ancient tools, pottery, and two old burial sites. These discoveries show how people lived in this valley across thousands of years.