Location: |
SS 47 della Valsugana, 36020 Valbrenta VI.
(45.9491190, 11.7256405) |
Open: |
Only after appointment. [2024] |
Fee: |
yes. [2024] |
Classification: | Cave Castle |
Light: | Incandescent |
Dimension: | L=34 m, W=30 m, H=12 m. |
Guided tours: | |
Photography: | allowed |
Accessibility: | no |
Bibliography: | |
Address: | Covolo di Butistone Museum, Via Roma, 29, Cismon del Grappa (VI), Tel: +39-339-449-9196. E-mail: |
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info. |
1004 | during the Holy Week the castle was passed by the army of Emperor Henry II, at war against the king of Italy Arduino, first written mention. |
1184 | owned by the bishop-count of Feltre. |
14th century | involved in the conflicts that opposed the lordships of the Veneto. |
1321 | conquered by Cangrande della Scala, the Scaligeri. |
1337 | owned by the Sicco di Caldonazzo. |
1338 | owned by the House of Visconti. |
1386 | occupied by Francesco da Carrara. |
1386 | occupied by the army of Antonio della Scala. |
1404 | passed to the Venetians. |
1411 | conquered by the army of King Sigismund of Hungary under the leadership of Pippo Spano. |
1509 | during the war of the League of Cambrai occupied by Habsburg troops. |
1782 | Joseph II of Austria gives the order to disarm it. |
1796 | involved in the battle of Primolano between the French and the Austrians. |
The Covolo di Butistone (Butistone Hollow) is a cave castle located in the valley of the Brenta river, the Valsugana. The valley is very steep, a gorge with vertical limestone walls at the lower part, and surrounded by the southern pre-Alps, limestone mountains which are between 800 and 1,500 m asl. As the river is only about 200 m asl, the height difference is quite massive. The area is Italian, but in the Middle Ages there were strong Bavarian and Austrian influences and many names are German names. The word Covolo is not an Italian word you will find in a dictionary, it is derived from the medieval German term Kofel, which means "mountain summit" and is part of several names of mountains in the German-speaking Alps. Nevertheless, in the Venetian dialect it is used for sinkholes and karst caves. According to the Italian abbot, historian and writer Modesto Bonato, who lived in the 19th century, the toponym "Butistone" has Cimbrian origins. He thought it was composed of the terms bunta "wound" and stoon "stones, rocks", a wound in the rock, a gash on the mountainside, an opening, a cave. In other words, as both Covolo and Butistone are both actually synonyms for cave, the name of this cave castle is actually Cave of Cave. Another case of a cave related tautology.
The cave castle is located in the middle of a vertical limestone cliff, some 50 m above the valley floor. The cave is 24 m long, 30 m wide and 14 m high, the castle inside has four levels. The lower level has a perennial spring, which feeds two cisterns. The cave castle is in a good state of conservation. Originally there was also a lower castle at the foot of the cliff, but it is in a bad state. It is also on a private property and thus not accessible. Originally the upper castle was only accessible by a winch, later a wooden staircase was built.
The cave castle overlooks the Canałe de Brenta (Brenta Canal), the narrow valley between the municipalities of Bassano del Grappa and Cismon del Grappa. This was an important connection between the Venetian plain and the Alps, and numerous fortifications, including the Pove del Grappa bastion, the Solagna tower, the bastion and castle of Enego, and the Scala di Primolano castle, were erected here. The cave castle was probably started in the Roman era, there are no ruins which could be identified as Roman origin, but some coins with the effigy of the emperor Aurelian were found. It is even possible it was frequented during prehistory, due to its elevated location and the small spring in the cave it was a great shelter. However, all remains were destroyed during the Medieval construction of the cave castle. The most important and tumultuous time of the castle was during the 14th century, when it changed ownership quite frequently. A century later, during the war of the League of Cambrai, it was occupied by Habsburg troops and later remained in their hands. As a result, it constituted an imperial exclave in Venetian territory. The castle was guarded by a small Austrian garrison and was used as a place of confinement for "excellent" prisoners or for the isolation of the mentally ill. Finally, in 1782, Joseph II of Austria gave the order to disarm it, because all strategic interest had ceased. Nevertheless, the castle was again involved in the battle of Primolano between the French and the Austrians in 1796. But after it was conquered by the transalpine army under the command of Pierre François Charles Augereau in 1797, it completely ceased all military functions. When the strategic function of the castle ceased after Napoleon had it dismantled, the lower castle served as a military and customs control point. During World War I it was used as a storage for gunpowder.
It is quite easy to find, there is a road along the river which is named SS 47, and it is located right at the road, between the towns of Cismon del Grappa and Primolano, close to the turnoff of the SS50bis towards Feltre. This road is not a motorway, nevertheless, it is a four-lane road, as a result the small car park is accessible only from the south. So if you come from the north, you have to follow the road about 1.8 km further to the next exit where you can turn around. The castle was opened to the public with the construction of new staircases where the original stairs had collapsed. It was open for several years, but with the Corona regulations it was closed. Currently, it is open after appointment and on special occasions. Unfortunately, they do not have an official website and the open dates are not published. It's not possible to visit the site without a guide, not only the staircase but also the castle itself is gated. There is also a museum in the nearby village Cismon del Grappa which is named Museo del Covolo di Butistone. Again there are no open hours given.