MANSIONS AND HISTORICAL DWELLINGS IN VAL DI NON Caskets of a centuries-old history Cover: The door of the “Sala della Colonna superiore”, particular (Cles, Palazzo Assessorile) © 2019 Edizioni Associazione Culturale G. B. Lampi ISBN: 978-88-943936-4-4 Promoted and financed by: Comunità della Val di Non Provincia Autonoma di Trento In collaboration with: Comune di Cles Comune di Predaia Comune di Revò Comune di Sanzeno Comune di Amblar-Don Comune di Sarnonico Comune di Livo Texts by: Massimo Negri Project coordination: Centro Culturale d’Anaunia Casa de Gentili Photographs: Municipalities in wich Mansions and Dwellings are located, Candido Marches, Massimo Negri, Lucia Barison and Azienda per il Turismo della Val di Non Graphic project: Blue Cookies di Ferrari Consuelo Translations: EUROSTREET Soc. Coop. - Biella (Italy) Special thanks for the collaboration with Giulia Wegher CENTRO CULTURALE D’ANAUNIA Associazione Culturale Comunità della Val di Non CASA DE GENTILI G. B. Lampi Cles Predaia Revò Sanzeno Amblar-Don Sarnonico Livo Mansions and Dwellings foreword contents MANSIONS AND HISTORICAL DWELLINGS 8 - Palazzo Assessorile IN VAL DI NON 11 - The Exterior 1 14 - The Interiors A treasure trove of rare places alive and making them beauty, the Val di Non con- known, through the promo- tains a historical and artistic tion of events, to the local in- 30 - Casa da Marta heritage of outstanding quali- habitants and the large num- 34 - The Exterior ty and incontestable historical bers of tourists who visit the 2 40 - The Interiors value. Ancient castles, glori- Val di Non every year. These ous churches, charming her- activities accordingly include 46 - Casa Campia mitages and historical dwell- the publication – also in Ger- 51 - The Exterior ings, testifying to a secular man and English – of this 3 55 - The Interiors history, can be seen spread book, which is the fruit of in- throughout the whole region. depth research and historical Over the course of the years, reconstruction of the iden- 62 - Casa de Gentili these buildings have been re- tity of these places. The de- 65 - The Exterior stored and turned into venues sire is for readers to be able 4 70 - The Interiors for cultural events and exhibi- to immerse themselves in the tions, thanks to the commit- magical atmosphere of these 78 - Casa Endrici ment of the Municipalities, the places and thus be stimulated 81 - The Exterior Provincia Autonoma di Tren- to capture their beauty and 5 86 - The Interiors to and the Consorzio B.I.M. charm by participating in the dell’Adige. numerous cultural initiatives The Val di Non Com- which are periodically organ- 96 - Palazzo Morenberg munity, supported by the ised. 98 - The Exterior Centro Culturale d’Anaunia 6 103 - The Interiors and in collaboration with the CULTURAL COUNCILLOR regional Municipalities, works OF THE VAL DI NON 112 - Palazzo Aliprandini ceaselessly to put online and COMMUNITY 116 - The Exterior promote this precious herit- Fabrizio Borzaga 7 122 - The Interiors age, co-ordinating and co-fi- nancing cultural activities. By doing so, it serves the dual Fpurpose of keeping these B 130 - Bibliography 6 LEGEND Sarnonico MANSIONS AND 7 HISTORICAL DWELLINGS Livo 3 IN VAL DI NON Revò 1. PALAZZO ASSESSORILE 4 Cles Sanzeno 2. CASA DA MARTA Predaia, fraction Coredo 5 Amblar-Don 3. CASA CAMPIA 1 fraction Don Revò Cles 4. CASA DE GENTILI 2 Sanzeno Predaia fraction Coredo 5. CASA ENDRICI Amblar-Don, fraction Don 6. PALAZZO MORENBERG Sarnonico 7. PALAZZO ALIPRANDINI Livo Palazzo Assessorile – the half of the 15th Century, Giorgio City Council building – stands in di Riprando Cles (c.1410-1492), a the heart of Prato which, along leading figure in the family and with Spinazeda and Pez-San Captain of the Non and Sole val- Vigilio, is one of the ancient cen- leys, undertook a complete recon- tres around which the town of struction, widening the annex of Cles grew up. The piazza which the building which then assumed it overlooks is the central point its facies (appearance) of today. of the Anauni town, with Palaz- To celebrate the completion of this zo Scotti, where the council of- extensive building work, a fresco fices are today, and Palazzo Dal was painted, still visible today on Lago de Sternfeld, the former the principal southern prospect, seat of the law court. On the out- almost a painted standard, bear- Pside, the compact and austere ing the coat of arms of the House building, which is still medieval in of Cles and the year, 1484. Howev- style, masks well the complex ar- er, it was in the 16th Century that chitectural evolution of its fabric the palazzo reached the height of and the different uses over the its splendour. In 1538, on the wish- course of its history: from tow- es of Bernardo Cles (1485-1539), er house for living in and storing from 1514 was Prince Bishop of foodstuffs to a stately mansion Trento and, from 1530, cardinal of and then a public building, when it the church of Santa Romana, the became the headquarters of the ownership passed into the hands Councillor of the Non and Sole of Aliprando (c.1490-1551), his fa- Valleys, from which it derived its vourite nephew, who was then a current name. law student at the university of The first documented ev- Bologna. The noble and knight of idence relating to the building the Empire married in 1529 Anna dates back to 1356, when the an- Wolkenstein Rodeneck (1509- cient square 13th Century tower 1582). He was the Imperial Coun- house, with an external curtain sellor and hereditary Chamberlain wall which widens to the south of the Tyrol, Captain of the Valleys east, was sold to Giovanni di Ar- of the Noce and of the Four Vicar- pone of Castel Cles (died after ages in Vallagarina and of the Cas- 1363). Later, it became part of the tle of Pietrapiana, on the hill to the ownership of the noble None- east of Trento, between the cur- so lineage, to which its destiny rent towns of Povo and Villazzano. Palazzo Assessorile was linked for almost three hun- It was thanks to the two spouses Municipality of Cles dred years. During the second that the building’s surroundings 8 9 were refurbished and acquired a work which it underwent, organ- supported by three descending more comfortable aspect as well ised by the civic administration of The Exterior corbels, confer an originality and as a greater dignity on the artistic Cles and begun in 2005, was com- elegance on the facade. The top of level. The couple made their home pleted in 2009 and has led to im- The massive, square build- the front is dominated by Guelph here, preferring to stay in the cen- portant results as well as to some ing, dating to the late Middle Ages, battlements and by other defen- tre of the town, rather than at the surprising discoveries: in particu- sits between the two principal pi- sive features such as small open- family castle, outside the town of lar, the revelation of a series of azzas of the town of Cles, Corso ings and trapdoors which have Cles, which had become tempo- frescoes on the third floor, which Dante and Piazza Granda. Its south over time assumed an exquisite rarily uninhabitable after a seri- confirm and strengthen the image facing facade, which is somewhat ornamental character, so much ous fire had broken out in March of the building as one of the most linear in conception, is character- so that some of them are painted of 1542. The interior decoration, valuable and interesting buildings ised by some distinguishing fea- and are not in brick, as they might which was typical of Renaissance in the Trentino region between tures. The entrance portal, in red appear at first glance. Between courtly architecture, is a clear and the end of the Middle Ages and stone, is rather severe and ogival the defensive and service features tangible expression of the culture the early modern era. Since being in shape; the upper fresco, the there is also a small tower on the and taste of the owners, who set opened to the public, Palazzo As- work of a German painter, depicts northern side, perhaps originally out to sign their initials and to sessorile has hosted, and contin- two angels with rainbow coloured used to accommodate a connect- leave an imprint of the coats of ues to welcome, a wide range of wings spread out and supporting ing stairway between the floors, arms of their respective families in cultural activities and initiatives, the coat of arms of the Cles fami- but now occupied by a lift which, many of the rooms of the palazzo. including many exhibitions and ly with two red and silver rampant being of a good size, makes the Nearly three centuries af- displays, theatrical productions lions, with forked tails, rather curi- building fully accessible without ter it had come into their posses- and concerts, conferences and ously turned towards the right (in any architectural barriers. sion, at the beginning of the 1620s, events of significant importance. other words, to the heraldic left) the Cles family sold the building whereas the original coat of arms to the Thuns who, in turn, ceded would have had them turned to- it in 1677 to the Magnificent Com- wards the left (in other words, to munity of Cles. In 1679, it was de- the heraldic right). At the base finitively and permanently estab- of the mural there is an inscrip- lished as the seat of the Councillor tion on stone commemorating of the Noce Valleys, regional rep- the acquisition of the building by resentative of the Prince Bishop the Municipality of Cles in 1677 of Trento, on whose behalf he ad- and also, as already mentioned, ministered justice.