Italy’s Alto Adige South Tyrol region can boast some 800 castles, and the fairytale Monguelfo Castle in the Alto Adige region is one well worth visiting.
Close to the border with Austria
Many of these castles are museums, others are hotels and restaurants, with Schloss Welsperg, as Monguelfo’s castle is also known, a popular visitor attraction. Complete with crenellated walls, a tower and an access bridge (there used to be a drawbridge) it stands on a spur of rock in the verdant Val Casies valley - Austria is just behind the mountains – close to the Val Pusteria, in the province of Bolzano. In 1765 a fire destroyed a large part of the castle, including the palace and residential wing. In the 1900s it passed into the hands of the Counts Thun-Hohenst who restored it and today it really looks like a fairytale castle. 
The Knights Hall is used for events and exhibitions
The little stone courtyard has a fountain with drinking water drawn directly from springs in the valley. The keep, which is the heart of the castle and its oldest part, is 40 metres high and as well as being a lookout tower, was also a dungeon where prisoners were locked up. During some recent restoration they found paintings, dating from around 1540, that had been hidden for centuries behind white plaster walls. On the upper floor the largest room is the Knights' Hall where concerts, exhibitions and plays are now organized, and there is a large garden with a medicinal herb garden where concerts are held in summer.
A castle is a short walk from Monguelfo village
To get to the castle start from the tourist office in Monguelfo, walk through the village towards the bridge crossing the Rio di Casies. After a short climb through meadows and a forest, you reach the castle having first passed the ruins of Thurn Castle which was destroyed by fire. The tour lasts around two hours.
For information: www.val-pusteria.net.
