History

Guglielmo I Bevilacqua commissioned construction in 1336 to fortify his position against the rival lordships of Este and Carrara. Having risen from wood merchant in Can Grande Mastino della Scala’s court to vassal of the bishop, Guglielmo sought to consolidate his territorial standing. The castle’s defensive purpose proved short-lived; by the early 16th century, military attacks rendered its fortifications obsolete.

In 1532, architect Michele Sanmicheli undertook a transformative intervention, reimagining the fortress as an elegant residence befitting the family’s elevated social status. Three centuries later, Austrian forces set fire to the manor during their 1848 campaign. Countess Felicita Bevilacqua subsequently funded extensive restoration work. After her death, the castle passed to the Bevilacqua-La Masa foundation, which operated it as a residential facility for the elderly and vulnerable before its current incarnation as a public cultural space.