GEMONA CASTLE dominates the town from a hill. It was built by the Lords of Gemona at the beginning of the 2nd Millennium (1000 a.d.). It was destroied by the earthquake in 1976: works to rebuild it are still in progress!

You can recognize three towers in the castle. The tallest is the Clock Tower. Next to it, there is the Eastern Tower: it  is no longer a tower, it was lowered in 1826 and used as a prison for 140 years (up to 1967). That’s why Gemona’s people refer to that building as “The Prisons”.

The Western Tower is a remain. It is the tower of the “Beast on the Treasure Chest”  in the Castle legend. When children go up to the castle gardens, they always throw a stone into the “Torate”, to try and wake up the Beast.

On top of the castle hill there are "the gardens": you can enjoy a nice view of the town, the river and the sourrounding mountains from  there. There is a small round fountain with a castle model in the middle, but what children like best is climbing the Cannon, a 2nd world war residual.  

 

ARTEGNA CASTLE is called Savorgnan after the surname of its owners. It is also called “Castelletto” (little castle) because, in the past, another biggest castle existed in this area.

Savorgnan Castle was built during the 13th century by the Lords of Artegna and in 1384 was inherited by the Savorgnan family. Later the castle administration was given to Artegna Community.

It was damaged by the earthquake in 1976 and in February 2014 it was officially reopened after restoring.

The Castle is composed of a curtain wall, towers, and a keep. It stands midway on San Martino hill, at the entrance of the village. Near the castle there’s San Martino Church. On the top of the hill people can visit the ruins, the defensive walls and the water tank (V Century).There are archeological exhibitions and an archeological site where teachers organize interesting school trips. At the end of the visit everybody can relax and enjoy the beautiful view having a cup of tea in the café inside the tower.