Castello di Marostica, Medieval fortress in Marostica, Italy

The Castello di Marostica, also called Castello Inferiore or Da Basso, is a rectangular castle-enclosure built against a tall square keep. Its rough reddish-brown stone walls are topped with crenellations and pierced by small arched windows and a large central arched doorway. Two ornate black street lamps stand before it on a paved square.

Construction began in 1312 under the Scaligeri family, who established Marostica as a military stronghold under Cangrande della Scala's command. The two fortresses were built at strategic locations to control the territory and the trade routes of that era.

The walled centre is entered through four gates: Porta Vicentina to the south, Porta Breganzina to the west, Porta Bassanese to the east and the Porta del Castello Superiore to the north. Inside, the main square is called Piazza degli Scacchi, the chess square, and the walkways along the walls once served as guard routes.

You enter the complex through four different gates, each named after cardinal directions or historical references. Manageable paths connect the two fortresses, and you can explore the entire grounds in an afternoon.

The Lower Castle's rectangular enclosure was built against a tall keep, and after the War of the League of Cambrai the podestà moved his seat here from the Upper Castle, which had been badly damaged. The Upper Castle stands on the Pausolino hill, where a Roman-era fortification preceded it and a document of 1262 records a tower there.