Overview
In Trento you will find the most important monumental complex in the region, the Buonconsiglio Castle, developed over the centuries from a 13th-century fortress built for controlling communications with the German world. Its leading role as the seat of the prince-bishops had lasted until 1803, the year of the suppression of the bishopric under the Napoleonic revolutionary wave. Today, it can be visited like a museum among archaeological collections, tiled stoves, late-mediaeval wooden sculptures and paintings by leading Renaissance artists, up to the patrol walkway leading to the Torre dell'Aquila. The latter is the most extraordinary room, with an incredible cycle of 14th-century frescoes that realistically depict the Months of the Year and represent an absolute masterpiece of late Gothic painting.
Before arriving at the Torre dell'Aquila, you pass through other buildings. It starts with Castelvecchio, a 13th-century fortress built on the Torre d'Augusto which belonged to the city walls, the courtyard from the late 15th century with porticoes, frescoes and a panoramic loggia is spectacular.
The visit continues in the Magno Palazzo, a renaissance celebration of the prince-bishop Bernardo Clesio, with frescoes by leading 16th century artists such as Dosso Dossi and Girolamo Romanino. From the entrance hall of the chapel, you exit into the green Leoni Courtyard, with the Romanino Loggia, the so-called artist of the frescoes. Also by Romanino are the decorations in the hallways of the kitchens and bathroom, up to the Great Hall on the second floor with a magnificent 16th-century fireplace and the Prince-Bishop's private flat. A staircase descends to the very pleasant Italian garden: its geometric designs are repeated throughout the labyrinth just below the Castle next to Via San Marco, a viaticum to the rest of Trento.
