The Iron-Aged Castle Ruling Lake Como: A WWI Defensive Fortress and Eagle's Home

Built in the late 11th to early 12th century, Castello di Vezio reigns over Lake Como, its square merlons a testament to its crusader past. Originally connected to the village of Varenna below, over the centuries, it changed hands and underwent several restorations. The late 19th century unveiled tomb remains from the Iron Age in the area, while restoration in the 18th century was undertaken by a local benefactor. The castle, during World War I, was equipped with dungeons as part of the defensive linea Cadorna, designed to halt any German invasion southward from Switzerland. Today, the castle hosts gardens, an Eurasian eagle-owl named Artú, and a permanent exhibition dedicated to Lariosaurus, an extinct sea reptile from the Middle Triassic period, discovered in Perledo in 1830. The castle is owned by the Greppi family of Milan.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons