The Castle of Catajo

❝The Castle of Catajo dominates the navigable waterway it was built to control, the Battaglia Canal (1201). A wonderful blend of military architecture and sixteenth century design, the castle contains valuable frescoes and esoteric symbols of the Renaissance period. It overlooks the “Garden of Delights,” which features an intricate array of fountains and a nymphaeum.
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Guarding the Battaglia Canal, waterway of medieval origin at the foot of the Euganean Hills, is the majestic Castle of Catajo. In appearance, it is both a large fortification and an elegant stately home. Whereas the outer appearance is decidedly more military, the gardens are rather more typical of the Renaissance villas of Veneto. Internally, there are splendid sixteenth century frescoes by Giovanni Battista Zelotti, the pupil of Paolo Veronese. The cycle of forty paintings celebrates the victories of the Obizzi family, of French origin, who made their fortune in the Veneto Republic. In 1570, Pio Enea I degli Obizzi began the construction of the magnificent fortress and residential complex.
The castle is located in a strategic position along the Battaglia Canal and for centuries has been the fulcrum of control of navigation to and from the Euganean Hills. Accessed by means of a spectacular three-arched bridge, the castle has a long and airy entrance path, which leads to the Court of the Giants. Here, naumachiae (reenactment of naval battlers) took place, made possible by the hydraulic knowledge of the designers. An impressive stairway, also designed for access on horseback, leads to the stately floor and sumptuous delegation rooms. The fishponds in the Garden of Delights are also worthy of mention, with their many exotic plants and monumental fountains including the Elephant fountain with nymphaeum.
The Obizzi family greatly enriched the castle with collections of arms, musical instruments, paintings and archaeological finds. At the start of the nineteenth century, the last representative of the dynasty Tommaso degli Obizzi, bequeathed the entire property to Ferdinand of Hapsburg and Maria Beatrice d'Este. The rich collections were subsequently transferred to other Hapsburg residences throughout Europe. The castle is also linked to events of the Great War. The son of the aforementioned couple was Francis Ferdinand I, the archduke who in June 1914 left Catajo castle for Sarajevo where he was assassinated. The rest of the tragic story is well known to all.