Italy’s picturesque landscapes are peppered with some of the world’s most enchanting castles, steeped in tales of romance, nobility and conflict. From medieval fortresses hidden in the hills to Renaissance palaces with ornate frescoed halls, these storied landmarks capture Italy’s rich cultural past. We’ve ranked 19 of the nation's most breathtaking strongholds, where soaring towers, ancient ramparts and sweeping views bring centuries of history to life.
Click or scroll through this gallery to discover the magnificent castles that belong on your Italy bucket list...
For over six centuries, Castello Estense has stood as a landmark of the northeastern city of Ferrara. Commissioned in 1385 by Niccolò II d’Este, Lord of Ferrara, it served as the Este dynasty's seat of power until 1597. Its stately, red-brick form, encircled by a wide moat and anchored by four vast towers, reflects its medieval origins.
During the Renaissance, the fortress was transformed into a palatial residence with frescoed halls, marble walls and ornate coffered ceilings. Castello Estense became a flourishing centre of art and culture, attracting painters such as Cosmè Tura and poets like Ludovico Ariosto. Today, it houses a museum celebrating this remarkable heritage.
One of southern Italy's best-preserved fortresses, the majestic Castello Ducale di Corigliano Calabro is framed by the La Sila mountain range to the south and the glittering waters of the Ionian Sea to the east. Dominating the Calabrian town of Corigliano, it has commanded the landscape since the 11th century, when it was built for the Norman ruler Robert Guiscard.
The castle’s interior remains remarkably untouched. The first floor still houses its ancient prison, while the second retains the original servants’ kitchen. Most striking of all are the noble rooms on the third level, from the gilded Hall of Mirrors to the ornate ceilings and glittering chandeliers.
Encircled by 84 acres of parklands and manicured grounds, Castello Ducale di Agliè is the jewel of the village of Agliè. Constructed in the 1740s on the ruins of a 12th-century fort by Count Filippo San Martino d’Agliè, it was later acquired by Benedetto Maurizio, Duke of Chiablese, who added an impressive entrance hall adorned with stucco trophies.
Used as a hospice during the Napoleonic era, the castle returned to royal ownership in 1823. King Carlo Felice of Sardinia and Queen Maria Cristina of Bourbon modernised the residence, enriching it with their remarkable collection of antiquities and archaeological finds. Today, these treasures remain on display within the castle museum.
Watching over the ancient city of Merano in South Tyrol, Castel Tirolo stands on a rocky plateau high in the mountains. The breathtaking 12th-century fortress was built for the Counts of Tyrol, which the region takes its name from. The elevated position offered a bird's eye view across their territory, while the castle’s stately architecture served as a lasting testament to the family’s power and prestige.
The complex – comprising the residential palace, defensive tower and chapel encased within ancient walls – underwent extensive preservation work in 1973. These days, the fortress's restored interior houses the South Tyrolean Museum of History, which traces the region's fascinating past.
Castello Malaspina di Massa occupies a commanding position on the slopes of the Apuan Alps, overlooking the ancient Tuscan city of Massa. While the bones of the fortification are from the Middle Ages, it wasn't until the 15th century that the castle was converted into a magnificent residence by the Malaspina family, one of northern Italy's most powerful feudal dynasties.
After serving as a prison from the late 19th century until 1946, the castle’s residence, keep and defensive walls have been carefully restored and are now open to the public.
In the middle of Lombardy's Lake Iseo lies a mysterious private island, where the ramparts of an ornate castle protrude above a canopy of dense trees. Its quiet beauty belies a layered past: over the centuries the island has hosted both an ancient fortification and a 15th-century convent, though much of its history remained obscure until Captain Vincenzo Richeri purchased it in 1900.
Over the next decade, Richeri constructed this enchanting neo-Gothic castle on the isle, surrounding it with a lush garden of conifers, and installing twin lighthouse towers and a harbour.
Anchored by its four grand towers, Castello di Aymavilles is an unusually compact, square-shaped fortress in the verdant Aosta Valley. Built in the 13th century, the castle has continually reinvented itself, gradually evolving from a medieval stronghold into an elegant Rococo mansion.
Inside, the castle has been recently restored to its 19th-century grandeur, a process that uncovered exquisite frescoes throughout the reception rooms. The interiors display an eclectic collision of design styles, where Egyptian Revival, neo-Gothic, Chinoiserie and naturalistic aesthetics sit in harmony.
The regal silhouette of Castello di Brolio is something of a landmark in central Tuscany's Chianti Classico wine region. The first stones were laid in the Middle Ages, but the fort has been remodelled and expanded over its lifetime, blending Romanesque foundations with neo-Gothic and 19th-century Tuscan additions.
Owned by the Ricasoli family since 1141, the spectacular castle has long been central to the region’s agricultural life. In 1872, Baron Bettino Ricasoli perfected the formula for Chianti wine, cementing Castello di Brolio and its surrounding estate at the heart of Tuscany’s winemaking heritage.
Also known by its German name, Brunnenburg Castle, the enigmatic Castel Fontana perches on a rocky slope above the village of Tirolo in South Tyrol. Originally constructed in 1241, it's been destroyed and rebuilt many times over the centuries. The romantic structure seen today, with its ivy-clad battlements and turrets, is the product of a neo-Gothic renovation in the early 1900s.
Through the years, its owners have included peasants, priests, bishops, industrialists and princes. Its final resident was the American poet Ezra Pound, who lived here until his death in 1972, after which the castle became an agricultural museum commemorating the region’s rural heritage.
With its unique octagonal form and gleaming limestone exterior, Castel del Monte is a beacon among the rolling fields of the southern region of Apulia. Astonishingly, the castle’s structure remains largely unchanged since its 1240 construction under the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II.
Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, the fortress reflects Frederick's fascination with mathematics and astronomy in the precision of its design. Even its location was chosen to capture the changing play of light and shadow throughout the seasons. Blending influences from classical antiquity, northern Europe and Islamic architecture, the structure is a fusion of cultures and perspectives.
A vast, circular monolith, the magnificent Castel Sant'Angelo watches over the banks of the River Tiber in Rome. Originally built around AD 123 by Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for his family, it was converted into a papal fortress in the 6th century. Throughout history, the castle has served as a place of refuge, linked to the Vatican by a hidden passage that allowed embattled popes to escape danger.
These days, the fortress is owned by the Italian government and its Renaissance interior houses the Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant'Angelo, with an impressive collection of artwork, sculptures and military antiques.
The towering red-brick edifice of Castello Sforzesco has stood in the heart of Milan since the 15th century. Built on the ruins of a medieval fortress, the breathtaking stronghold was commissioned by Duke Francesco Sforza as a symbol of dynastic power. Legendary artist Leonardo da Vinci served as an engineer on the project before later adorning its interiors with frescoes, notably the intricate ceiling of the Sala delle Asse.
Castello Sforzesco is now an important cultural landmark of the city, home to numerous art galleries and museums that showcase Milanese history – including Michelangelo's final sculpture, the Rondanini Pietà – as well as libraries, archives and exhibitions.
Emerging from the rugged northern Apennine mountains outside Bologna, Rocchetta Mattei, with its striped towers and gilded onion domes, is as curious as it is captivating. This fantastical fortress is the creation of Count Cesare Mattei, an eccentric nobleman who withdrew from Bolognese society to bring his vision to life. Construction began in 1850, and Mattei spent decades shaping the building.
Inside, Rocchetta Mattei is a feverish maze of winding Art Nouveau staircases, eclectic architectural homages and Moorish décor. Highlights include a scaled-down recreation of the Alhambra's courtyard and a chapel lined with mesmerising black-and-white archways.
Off the eastern coast of Ischia in Campania stands Castello Aragonese, a commanding fortress rising from its own rocky islet. The site’s origins trace back to 474 BC, but the complex largely took shape in the 15th century, when King Alfonso V, ruler of the medieval kingdom of Aragon, turned it into the formidable citadel we see today and linked it to Ischia via a stone bridge.
These days, visitors can reach the spectacular stronghold by lift or follow a network of meandering paths that lead past medieval churches, sun-bleached ruins, a former prison building and a museum that reveals the island's storied past.
Castello di Sammezzano is one of the world’s most extraordinary castles. Although the Tuscan landmark dates back to the 17th century, it was transformed into an architectural marvel by Marquis Ferdinando Panciatichi Ximenes d’Aragona two centuries later. Between 1853 and 1898, the Marquis reimagined the castle as a celebration of global design, referencing Moorish, Islamic, Indian and Masonic influences.
A standout feature is the Hall of Peacocks, a vaulted space adorned with intricate rainbow reliefs. Sadly, the castle is in urgent need of restoration and its dazzling interior is closed to the public.
A remarkable waterfront fortress, Castello Scaligero di Sirmione presides over the shoreline of Lake Garda. It was constructed in the 14th century and named after the Della Scala family, a noble house that ruled over Verona and its surroundings in the 1200s and 1300s. Once occupying a strategic military position, the castle includes an impressive dock built to house the Scaligeri and Venetian fleets.
During the Napoleonic era and the subsequent period of Austrian rule, it served as a weapons depot and barracks, later housing offices, a small prison and even a post office. Today, the castle operates as a museum, inviting visitors to explore Italy’s rich military history.
Poised on the edge of Tuscany’s Livorno coastline, the breathtaking Castello del Boccale rises seamlessly from the rocky shore below. However, it began life relatively humbly as a 16th-century watchtower built by the Medici dynasty, who ruled the region at that time.
Over the centuries, the fortified structure passed through the hands of several families before it was purchased by Hugh Whitaker-Ingham in the 1920s. The English baron, whose family helped found Sicily's Marsala wine industry, transformed it into a regal castle that welcomed Livorno's high society. A collector of jade, silver, crystal and elaborate carpets, Whitaker-Ingham is said to have decorated the castle lavishly.
This bewitching landmark in the Aosta Valley, shrouded in a forest of conifer trees, was constructed as a gift from King Umberto I of Italy to his wife, Queen Margherita of Savoy. Work began on Castel Savoia in 1899, but the King was assassinated in 1900 and never saw its completion. The Queen treasured the retreat, spending her summers there until shortly before her death.
A patchwork of Art Nouveau and neo-Gothic styles, the turreted residence features stained-glass windows, woodwork and frescoes depicting emblems of the House of Savoy. Ingeniously, the design also included an underground railway that once connected the castle to its kitchen outbuilding.
Taking the top spot in our ranking of Italy’s most beautiful castles is the incomparable Castello di Miramare, which graces the northeastern shores of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. With its striking white façade, ornate castellations, elegant tower and perfectly manicured gardens, it seems like a fairytale mirage, rising from the blue-green waters of the Gulf of Trieste.
An ambitious and elaborate project, the castle took four years to build and was completed in 1860. It was commissioned by Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg, later Emperor of Mexico, and his wife, Princess Charlotte of Belgium, who used it as their private coastal residence.