Castello di Arzignano, Medieval castle in Arzignano, Italy

Castello di Arzignano is a medieval fortification sitting on San Matteo hill, equipped with defensive walls, towers, and gates arranged as a complete military complex. The structures are positioned to take advantage of the terrain, creating multiple levels and defensive positions throughout the site.

The current castle was built after the earlier fort on San Matteo hill, of which no archaeological trace remains, to defend the Pieve di Santa Maria. Its oldest structural records date to 1370, when the Scaligeri fortified the territory; in 1377 it passed to the Visconti and became the seat of a vicariate. In 1436 the Visconti nearly destroyed it, and a plaque of 1444 recalls its restoration.

The name "da Arzignano" belonged to the comital family descended from the Maltraversi; Count Egano held the castle while his brother Singofredo, a Guelph, lived in Vicenza, and the two clashed over politics. From 1800 the complex passed to the Church and the parish priest has lived there since.

The castle stands in the Castello hamlet, on the hill above Arzignano, and is reached on foot along uphill paths from the town. Since 1800 the former keep has been the parish priest's residence, so the buildings are not open as a museum; visitors come for the exterior and the position over the Chiampo valley.

The castle's oldest surviving structures date to 1370, built under the Scaligeri, who reorganized the territory into captaincies later replaced by vicariates. A stone plaque of 1444, found buried and brought back to light, records a restoration of the complex.