Villa Ottone Castle

The castle of Villa Ottone stands on a rock with two steep faces and was probably built by the noble families of Villa Ottone around 1100. The castle is surrounded by a curtain wall, its residence building and the chapel however are situated in a lower position. At the highest point of the building rises the keep attached to the curtain wall.

Due to political reasons and successions, this castle changed hands several times over the centuries. It was owned, among others, by the Counts of Gorizia, the Counts of Tyrol, the Counts of Wolkenstein-Trostburg and by the bishopric of Bressanone.

Around 1427 the minnesänger Oswald von Wolkenstein became the curator of the Castle of Villa Ottone. Unfortunately, the fortress began to decay around the mid-16th century. Since 1929 it is in private hands.