Torre del Falasco

The complex structure known today as the 'Torre del Falasco' began to take on an organised form at the beginning of the 12th century, i.e. during the period in which the territory was granted as a fief to the Turrisendi family, who further fortified this already naturally protected spot. Once a fortress that symbolised aristocratic power in medieval times, in the seventeenth century it became the den of henchmen in the service of the nobles who violently apportioned power over the Valpantena. The name 'Torre del Falasco' owes itself to Francesco Falasco, a modest peasant who owned small properties but who was reduced to working as a man-at-arms serving the Cozza family. He was condemned in 1621 by the Council of Ten and stripped of his possessions, and was thus forced to make a hideout for himself among the ruins of the old castle in Cologne. Following his death, the place was used as a hideaway from the police by bandits, who set up a base in the castle over the decades that followed. The most interesting part is the Torre del Falasco itself, a sturdy cylindrical structure inside which there was once a stone staircase that led to the extremely well-protected shelter above.

HOW TO GET THERE: The path that leads to the Torre del Falasco passes through private properties, so the site is not currently accessible to the public. It is possible to see the tower in the distance from the bypass between Grezzana and Stallavena, looking towards Lessinia, left among the rocks.