Castello di Redondesco, Medieval castle in Redondesco, Italy

Castello di Redondesco is a fortified structure in Lombardy with a rectangular layout and angular towers protected by a quadrangular gateway tower. The complete design forms an integrated defensive system that demonstrates the essential characteristics of medieval military construction in the region.

The fortress was founded in 1163 when Emperor Frederick Barbarossa granted it official status as a fortification and brought the Redondesco family under his control. By 1240, the Gonzaga family assumed command over the structure.

The two surviving towers now serve the village: the entrance tower stands as a landmark of the old fortified borgo, and the tower holding the bell cell carries the parish bells. Their names recall the counts of Redondesco, who held the castle until 1240, before it passed to the Gonzaga.

The castle stood in Redondesco, a village on the route of the ancient Via Postumia, which the Gonzaga used the fortress to control. Only the entrance tower and the tower holding the bell cell remain standing; the rest was dismantled in the 17th century, so visitors see two isolated towers rather than a circuit of walls.

The structure long served as a strategic control point over the ancient Via Postumia, one of the Roman Empire's major trade routes. This location made it a key position for commerce and political influence in the area.