Whispering Stones of Zumelle: A Lombard's Rebuild, Echoing through the Ages,

Hiding like a secret in the municipality of Borgo Valbelluna, the quite old Zumelle Castle seems to carry a mystery that's as intriguing as it is confounding. Some whispers suggest that it might trace its roots back to even before the Roman era. Near the Via Claudia Augusta Altinatis, this castle has a dogged wariness when it comes to changing hands for centuries. A Lombard legend has it that Gaiseric, a royal loyalist to queen Amalasuntha, reassembled the broken walls, thus giving the castle its name.

The Middle Ages only added another layer to this castle's shroud, with the Lombard king Liutprand anointing Valentino, bishop of Ceneda, as the ruler in 737. This move stirred quite a commotion with John, the count-bishop of Belluno. The discord ended in 750, thanks to the intervention of the new king Aistulf. The 11th century found Zumelle Castle under the command of the Caminesi family, who rebuilt the castle in 1311. But their rule was swift, as the castle was captured by the Republic of Venice, who had taken control of the area.

The Venetian conquest seemed to dim the castle's importance, and in 1501, during the War of the League of Cambrai, the imperial troops raided it. The castle changed hands, belonging to the Zorzi and Gritti families, the Austrian Empire, before it was purchased by the commune of Mel in 1872, its current custodian.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons