What is Marostica known for?

The Partita a Scacchi, played on the square between the two castles every even-numbered September, reenacts the 1454 duel-by-chess for Lionora Parisio. Cangrande della Scala's lower fortress on the plain and the upper ruin on Monte Pausolino, linked by two kilometers of wall and twenty-four towers. Ciliegia di Marostica, first Italian cherry granted IGP status in 2002, grown on the slopes north of the walls and used in the local cherry crostata.

Marostica is a comune in the province of Vicenza, Veneto region of Italy, about 32 kilometers from Vicenza.

Veneto · Vicenza

Marostica

The walled chess town below Vicenza, where two castles linked by a hill rampart stage a costumed reenactment of a 1454 match every two years.

32 km / 20 mi

Nearest hub (Vicenza)

13,940

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Marostica sitsat the foot of the Asolan hills, forty-five kilometers northwest of Padova. Cangrande della Scala took the town in 1311 and built the Castello Inferiore on the plain and the Castello Superiore on Monte Pausolino above it, linking the two with a two-kilometer wall studded with twenty-four towers and four gates. The Cangrande Keep of the Castello Inferiore rises 44 meters over Piazza Castello. The Upper Castle was destroyed by Venetian artillery during the War of the League of Cambrai in 1510 and stands as a ruin. The square between the two castles is paved with a permanent chess board: every two years on the second weekend of September the Partita a Scacchi reenacts a 1454 match between Vieri da Vallonara and Rinaldo d'Angarano for the hand of Lionora Parisio, daughter of the Venetian governor. Marostica also grows the Ciliegia di Marostica IGP cherries used in the local crostata.

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Gallery

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Known for

Castello Inferiore
Lower castle on Piazza Castello, built by Cangrande della Scala from 1311, with the 44-meter Cangrande Keep and a museum on the chess match traditions.
Castello Superiore
Upper castle on Monte Pausolino, ruined by Venetian artillery in 1510, reached by a footpath through the walls with views over the Brenta valley.
Mura di Marostica
Two kilometers of fourteenth-century walls linking the two castles, with twenty-four towers and four gates; the parapet walk is open to the public.
Piazza Castello
Main square between the lower castle and the parish church, paved with a permanent chess board for the biennial Partita a Scacchi held the second weekend of September.
Partita a Scacchi
Costumed reenactment of a 1454 chess match between Vieri da Vallonara and Rinaldo d'Angarano, staged with five hundred performers in Renaissance dress on even-numbered years.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through June and September through October are the working months. The cherry harvest runs from late May to mid-June and the orchards on the lower slopes of the Asolan hills mark the season; the Mostra delle Ciliegie in early June is the major spring event. The Partita a Scacchi falls on the second weekend of September in even-numbered years and books the town a year ahead. July and August are warm and busy with weekend traffic from Vicenza and Padova; the walled centro shadows fill after one. November through March is quiet but never closed. Marostica keeps year-round residents and trattorie that hold through winter; the parapet walk on the walls is best after fog, when the Brenta plain appears below.