The merlated tower and church of the former Schio castle

The castle of Schio was a fortification in the municipality of Schio, of which only a merlated tower remains, incorporated into the deconsecrated church of Santa Maria della Neve. The toponym also indicates the central area of the town, remembering the ancient presence of the castle; the entire area, a small hill rising in the center of the city, is now used as a public park.

Archaeological evidence suggests that the primitive castle of Schio may have been built by the Euganei or Veneti populations. In medieval times, it became the castle of the Maltraversi, counts of Vicenza, who ruled until 1311. In 1314, it was damaged and passed under the control of the Scaligeri through the Nogarola family. In 1382, it belonged to the Visconti, specifically to the count Giorgio Cavalli, who reinforced it, before eventually passing under Venice. In 1412, just six years after a new authority took control of the area, the castle was dismantled, but the community of Schio was entrusted with the management of the nearby fortress of Pievebelvicino.

The castle was demolished definitively by order of Venice in 1514. From the ancient castle, only the esplanade with the remains of the foundations of two now-disappeared towers, the merlated bell tower, and the adjacent church of Santa Maria della Neve remain. The church was built in the late 14th century and rebuilt in the 18th century.

Remnants of the castle are remembered in two paintings by Francesco Verla, one dated 1512 and kept in the church of San Francesco. Recent investigations have found significant correlations between these paintings and structures from the early 20th century. Additionally, under the hill of the castle, an air raid shelter was carved into the rock in the 1940s. This tunnel, reinforced with concrete, has an internal surface area of approximately 500 square meters and a length of about 100 meters. Between 2008 and 2010, the shelter was cleared of debris and restored to be used for the maturing of local wines and cheeses thanks to its favorable internal microclimate.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons