Castello di Rovasenda, Medieval castle in Rovasenda, Italy

Castello di Rovasenda is a medieval castle in Rovasenda with a 48 meter (157 foot) high square tower that rises through seven floors. The interior is decorated with Renaissance frescoes that spread across multiple rooms and halls.

Alberto di Rovasenda began building the original fortress in 1170 as a military structure. Between 1400 and 1500 it was gradually transformed into a noble residence.

The interior rooms display Renaissance frescoes and vault decorations that show how northern Italian nobles designed their living spaces. These artistic elements shape the look of the chambers and halls to this day.

Only a small part of the castle can be visited; the rest awaits restoration and consolidation before the frescoed halls can be opened. The rooms that are accessible hold about a hundred people and host occasional exhibitions, conferences and concerts run by the Pro Loco of Rovasenda. The same rooms contain the town council chamber, furnished by the Rovasenda-born artist Urano Palma.

The castle's 48-metre tower, built in 1459 by Antonio di Rovasenda, rests on a single arch and has a projecting top terrace with eleven square machicolations per side. In the early 20th century architect Carlo Nigra copied it for the Castello nuovo di Rovasenda. Two plaques dated 1971 on the facade commemorate the community's first millennium and the death of Pierre Terrail de Bayard, mortally wounded nearby on 30 April 1524.