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This post could begin like this: Once upon a time there was  an enchanted castle nestled in the mountains overlooking a beautiful lake….
And I  could go on adding to the story a beautiful princess trapped in the tower and saved by her prince charming. 
But it would be too mushy and I’m not just the kind! 
Castel Toblino actually looks like a fairy tale castle, nestled between lake and mountains. Located in the Valley of the Lakes above Riva del Garda, in the province of Trento, this magnificent building is a rare example of Italian castle lake, and one of the most famous castles in Trentino. The structure is built on a small peninsula overlooking Lake Toblino. The beautiful crenelated walls that runs all around the complex and that borders the park gives a  medieval touch and lightens the whole structure, which in itself is quite majestic.

The original castle dates back to 1100 when it was owned by the vassals of the Prince-Bishop of Trento. Later it was bought by a noble family and only in the fifteenth century it returned to the bishop property. The castle that can be admired today is the result of the reconstruction commissioned by Bernardo Clesio in the sixteenth century, during which the building took on its actual Renaissance style.
Today the castle is privately owned and has a restaurant that I haven’t got the chance to try but that undoubtedly enjoys a fabulous view! From the courtyard the glance is really impressive with green waters reflecting the castle and the mountains’ profiles fading in the distance, creating an artistic mirroring effect. 
The mountains all around with their shiny rock walls seem to dive into the water creating  an exceptional setting and a unique landscape. It’s a shame that a high traffic road runs right behind the castle ruining part of the atmosphere: a place like this deserves to be in a secluded valley crossed only by minor streets, the castle and its setting  would gain tremendously! 


Nevertheless, Toblino Castle is definitely worth a visit in the spring, when nature flourishes, in the summer to escape the heat or in autumn when the leaves of the trees becomes of  a thousand shades of yellow making the scenery even more spectacular. 
Like any true castle, Toblino has a beautiful and rich tradition of legends , often dark and gloomy, which found in its massive walls and wide park the ideal place to be born and passed on. According to one of these legends, the castle was once home to  fairies to which in the third century was dedicated a temple, as evidences still today a plaque in the porch of the castle. 
Toblino has it all, a magnificent, majestic and mysterious castle. Treat yourself by sitting on the beautiful terrace of the restaurant’s bar sipping a coffee in the shade of the mountains, watching the swans gliding elegantly on the water, behind the mighty walls of the castle: it will be one of the most fabulous coffee that you have ever taken!