Castel Bragher, Medieval castle in Predaia, Italy

Castel Bragher is a hilltop castle on a rocky rise at 640 m between Taio and Coredo, in the municipality of Predaia. Several buildings from different periods ring a central courtyard: a four-storey main block with a rectangular keep, red-and-white Thun shutters, an outer gate topped by a roundel, two zwinger walls, a wall walk with rectangular merlons, and a stone bridge over the moat to the inner gate tower. The castle chapel of St Celestine stands at the courtyard's south edge.

The castle was first documented in 1275 as castrum Brageri, named after its builder Bragherio. In 1270 the Trento bishop Egno von Eppan had enfeoffed the Coredo-Bragher family. Between 1321 and 1322 the Thun bought out the two Coredo branches residing there, and in 1336 the castle withstood an assault by the Lords of Arz during the Nonsberg noble feud. In 1525 rebellious peasants of the Non Valley failed to take it.

The castle chapel is dedicated to Saint Celestin and holds a fresco cycle on the Passion of Christ attributed to Jacopo Sunter, built under the Thun in the 14th century. The name Bragher comes from Bragherio di Coredo, whose family held the site as a fief from 1270. The red and white shutters of the main building follow the heraldic colours of the Thun.

The interior spaces are not open to visitors, but the exterior areas offer views of the defensive structure and its protective elements. The best overview comes from the road that connects the two nearby villages.

In 1336, during the Nonsberg noble feud, the lords of Arz tried to seize the castle by a surprise coup and failed. In 1525 rebellious peasants of the Non Valley stormed it in vain and withdrew empty-handed. The castle has belonged to the Thun family for over 700 years and is still not open to visitors.