Castle of Golaso, Medieval castle in Varsi, Italy

Castello di Golaso is a stone fortified complex of about 5,000 m² near the Ceno torrent in the Golaso hamlet of Varsi. Its long two-level facade has three towers: two smaller ones on cylindrical bases with octagonal tops and brick-framed loopholes, and a square tower above the round-arched portal flanked by Doric pilasters. Two courtyards lie inside, the first nearly square and the second U-shaped behind the Palazzo.

The site called Agulate was already inhabited in 769, but the castle's construction date and first owners remain uncertain: some scholars date the first fortification to the 6th or 7th century, others to around the 13th. Around the 16th–17th century the defensive structure was turned into a late-Renaissance fortified farmhouse. The first documented owners were the Rugarli counts in the 18th century; they held feudal rights until Napoleon abolished them in 1805, after which the Corsini family, already owners by 1832, took over and their descendants still own it.

The castle served as the seat of the Rugarli counts and shows through its layout the transition from purely defensive stronghold to a noble residence. The building reflects the changes that reshaped the region over centuries.

The castle stands near the Ceno stream in the hamlet of Golaso, in the municipality of Varsi. The complex is private and still owned by the Corsini descendants, so the courtyards and wings are not open for tours; the stone facade, the entrance tower and the surrounding walls can be seen from outside. The old castle mill, with three millstones, stands nearby by the Ceno and was converted into a private house after 1989.

The building incorporates symbolic numerical symmetry with 12 staircases representing the months, 30 doors for the days, and 365 windows for each day of the year. This deliberate design reveals how the builder integrated mathematical principles into the architecture.