Castle of Villafranca

The Castle of Villafranca is a medieval building, of which the structure of the original fortified system still survives today.

Its construction began in 1199, following the nomination in 1185 by the Municipality of Verona of the local settlement as Borgo Libero (Free Village), after the battle of Ponti dei Molini (Mantua), and was completed in 1202. Destroyed and burned by the Mantuan army, it was rebuilt in 1242, and in 1243 Enrico III da Egna (podestà of Verona) had the main tower erected.

Initially intended as a modest-sized defensive fortification, over the years it became an integral and strategic part of the defensive system of the Scaligero Serraglio, which stretched along the Tione River up to the small castle of Gherla on the border between Villafranca and Valeggio sul Mincio, continuing up to Nogarole Rocca. In its heyday, the castle featured an elaborately designed manor with a complex wall interspersed with towers, opening onto the main road towards Verona, alongside the Tione dei Monti watercourse, with the Portòn of the central tower. A curious aspect of its structure is that the crenellation of the actual wall was built in the guelph style, or flat, while the crenellation of the keep and the shielded towers was built in the ghibelline style or in a "swallowtail" shape.

With the advent of the Serenissima, towards the end of the 15th century, the castle began to lose strategic importance and was completely abandoned in 1450. The lands were subsequently purchased by local nobles, and the walls were removed in the early 20th century.

In 1882, the keep and the dungeons were acquired by the Municipality of Villafranca, and in 1890 the main tower was restored with the installation of a clock. Following the collapse of the southeast corner tower, a significant restoration work began in 1926, reinforcing the walls and battlements, culminating in 1935 with the renovation of the bastions, external ditches, and the planting of pines, firs, and plane trees.

Located along the ancient Roman consular road Postumia in the south of the city, the fortress building is structured with a main body in a square mesh, seven small towers called “Torresine,” built with reused stones from the Arch of Emperor Tiberius, and three shielded towers. The current castle is the result of various modifications and demolitions that occurred in the late Scaliger, Venetian, and Habsburg eras.

The castle is also known for being not only a picturesque venue for concerts and performances but is also mentioned in William Shakespeare's play "Romeo and Juliet" in Act I: "...and you Montagues: find yourselves this evening in the old castle of Villafranca where you will hear my sentence for the events that have occurred, in the place of ordinary judgment...".