Tags
Angera, castle, Doll Museum, italy, Lago Maggiore, Lake Maggiore, Lombardy, Photography, Rocca Borromeo, Rocca Borromeo of Angera, travel
The walk up the hill to the castle, Rocca Borromeo of Angera, is quite long and takes about 25 minutes but well worth the effort, so take it slowly. Bring a hat and water as there is not much shade and it gets very warm. I do believe that you can take a taxi up to the castle from the township if you would rather not walk.
The Rocca Borromeo of Angera is a fortified building located in the town of Angera (Varese), on the southern shores of Lake Maggiore in Lombardy. This is one of the best preserved castles of Lombardy. The ancient castle tower dates back to the 13th century; the view of the lake and the hinterland from here is absolutely charming.
The castle is well-kept, an interesting building with impressive walls and beautiful gardens and magnificent views. If you go on a clear day you can see the Alps across the lake.
La Rocca includes botanical, medievil, vegetable, herb and fruit tree gardens and vineyards which are a pleasure to stroll through.
The castle is perfectly maintained, and therefore unique. Inside the fortress, you can see examples of press medieval plows and troughs. Further inside, the castle houses a doll museum, unique in Italy and among the most prestigious in Europe and well-known by collectors Europe wide. There are not just dolls but also games for boys, table lamps, music boxes, and much more. For the average visitor it is just a nice little add-on to the visit as seeing the exhibition leads you through the whole castle. The old dolls and toys are fascinating – and some were downright weird. You really have to see it to believe it. No matter what your interests are, you will be amazed by this castle and its wonderful museum.
Be sure to go right to the top of the fortress for the best views, climbing up the various ladders from the Hall of Justice where the excellent frescoes are.
After we had spent a couple of hours in the castle and the doll museum we visited the gardens. Take some time to wander round the gardens and then enjoy the stroll downhill back to the town. There is a cafe and small shop at the fortress, but there are lots of cafes back at lake level.
All in all an excellent way to spend a few hours.
Lyn, I could spend all day inside this castle! What a lot of amazing things to look at.The outdoor gardens, architecture, old frescoes and those dolls….super cool.
Yes Susan. You could spend a day here but once again time is our enemy when we travel in Italy. So much to see and do in such a short time On 13/04/2015 9:21 AM, “Travelling Italy with Lyn” wrote:
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Fantastic castle!
Yes George it is. Thanks for stopping by On 13/04/2015 10:39 PM, “Travelling Italy with Lyn” wrote:
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It’s so much fun to visit old forts and castles and that looks like an especially nice one. The museum sounds very interesting.
Love the frescos!
The frescos are fantastic as they are in pretty good condition
We sped past so many castles on hilltops on a recent drive north – wonderful to get a chance to look around one courtesy of your blog – thanks!
Yes Georgie it is always a matter of finding the time to enjoy these beautiful old castles
What an amazing place :-)
Yes Leah. It really is On 14/04/2015 8:03 PM, “Travelling Italy with Lyn” wrote:
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Great shots and story of this castle and wonderful to visit real castles. We do not have these in Oz. Makes viewing all the more intriguing.
Thanks Gail.
I am so thrilled my wordpress can help me comment finally! I just got back from my second trip to Italy :) I have a lot of stories too!