CASTELLO DI CATERINA CORNARO
Castle connected to the city walls, retaining only 3 of the 4 guard towers
Symbol of the urban landscape of Asolo, the foundation of the castle dates back to the tenth century. It was the residence of Ezzelino da Romano in 1242, and from 1339 it became the seat of the Venetian governors. Connected to the city walls, the castle only preserves three of the four guard towers that surrounded it: the municipal tower or Clock Tower, the Torre Reata, which was used as a prison, and the Torre del Carro, integrated into the rest of the building and used as a dwelling. Caterina Cornaro (1454-1510), Queen of Cyprus, established her court from 1489 in the ancient medieval building, after having exchanged her island with the Venetians for the lordship of Asolo. It was in the gardens of the castle that the writer and poet, Cardinal Pietro Bembo (1470-1547), set his dialogues on love in Gli Asolani. After Caterina's death, the castle returned to Venice, but over the centuries it was heavily dismantled. Occupied by the French in 1797, it was at this time that the vast Aula Pretoria, the hall where the Venetian administration held its meetings, was transformed into a theater (the present Duse Theater). The western part of the castle was demolished in 1820. The demolitions of the twentieth century were even more important: the theater was transformed into a cinema (it will become a theater again), and part of the buildings were bought by foreigners. Today, only the ascent to the top of the Torre Reata and the entrance inside the walls are allowed.
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