CASTEL THUN

Location: Ton, Trentino-Alto Adige (Italy) — 46.2733 N, 11.0901 E

Dating: Uncertain. Proposed Iron Age–Roman period (5th–1st centuries BC) for the underlying stone terraces and the mid-13th century AD when the Thun family built a fortified residence on the hill

Characteristics: The slopes and base of the Castel Thun contain polygonal walls. The lower terraces are made of roughly shaped blocks while the main castle also contains one particular terrace section of extraordinary stonework precision. Supposedly built in the mid-13th centrury AD along with the rest of the castle, the terrace juts out on the western side of the castle forming an asymmetrical platform compared to the rest of the site. No other section of the castle displays such stonework, not even at the keep or its most important defensive areas.

Polygonal classification: Types II-IV (Lugli)

Attribution: The underlying terracing and particularly precise west-facing castle terrace is tentatively associated with Iron Age Raetian or Alpine Celtic populations inhabiting the Non Valley prior to Roman incorporation of the region. The site may have supported an earlier hilltop settlement or fortified platform, later reused during the medieval construction of Castel Thun by the noble Thun family.

Specific points to see:

• Castel Thun