Castle in the Clouds

When asked what my favorite part of our weeks spent in Italy, I don't need to hesitate. Castle Thun in Trentino. This was the place I imagined when I thought of Italy. It began with driving our small manual  FIAT up the spiral roads to a grass filled parking lot as the base of a large hill. When the view from a parking lot is the most incredible thing you have seen you know its going to be good. As soon as I recovered from my car sickness we climbed up the rock road to the top of the hill (my Birkenstocks steadily filling with pebbles along the trek) and got our first glimpse of Castel Thun. This structure has been standing since the 1250's.

As I looked over the stone wall surrounding the castle I saw that I was eye level with the clouds, and looked up to see I was still an ant compared to the surrounding mountains. The perspective was something I hadn't experienced before. The entire italy trip we had been surrounded by mountains, castles, and stunning architecture, but nothing seemed to match this. While wandering around Castle Thun, listening to the wonderfully done audio guide (in the form of a story) it was almost impossible to think about anything else except for the exact moment you were in. I was immersed in the history of the castle as we were led through by the voices of past residents explaining each room and its significance to them.

I could have sat there for days and looked out over the beauty of the surrounding mountains.
Castle Thun belongs in a story book.

Small building outside of the castle

always room for shenanigans ;)