This castle stands on a hill overlooking the town of Montegalda. The origins of the building date back to the early XI century, when a defensive tower stood on the top of the hill, in a strategic position between the Berici and Euganean hills.

Later on, the property passed to the city of Vicenza, to the Republic of Venice, and to several noble Venetian families such as the Contarinis, the Donàs, the Grimanis, and finally the Marcellos. The latter sold the castle to the Sorlini Family in the 1980s.
Over the centuries, the buildings on this estate were rebuilt and enlarged several times, keeping their military function until the war of Cambrai.

Between the 1500s and the 1700s, the fortress was made into a noble residence, while the gardens were designed in the second half of the 1600s – they were created using the slopes that surround the castle.

To the east, several bastions were built to housed mobile greenhouses, which are still used for the cultivation of citrus fruits; facing west, some roof gardens on terraces were also created.

After the entrance gate at the foot of the hill, there’s a panoramic avenue which gently climbs to the top, offering eye-catching sights of the garden. After the last bend, the castle suddenly appears in all its grandeur. At the foot of the stronghold, a narrow passage under the drawbridge leads to a monumental gate, supported by four pillars with obelisks on the top.

On the opposite side, a long cypress-lined avenue descends gently towards the valley and offers an evocative view of the western hills.
The elegant access ramp to the drawbridge and the formal garden offers some excellent scenographic sights, enclosed within low walls. The latter are decorated with statues of putti made in the workshop of Orazio Marinali, just like any other statues on the estate.

On the right, aligned with the drawbridge, there’s a monumental gate supported by two pillars with statues. It leads to the formal garden, organized on different levels.
The raised central avenue, with several pots of lemons, reaches a Belvedere – a light iron and stone structure almost entirely covered with banksia roses.

On the sides of the central avenue, there are two formal gardens arranged on slightly lower levels and accessed via short stone stairs. They are divided into symmetrical flower beds, bordered with boxwood, and house more than 100 pots of lemons, standing on low stone pedestals.
From the drawbridge, visitors can access the internal courtyard: a clever XVIII century insertion into the inner space of the ancient “court of arms” – its regular internal elevations and the stone balustrade with statues, give the site the sober elegance truly worthy of a noble abode.

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