Villa Lusa or Castel Lusa is an architectural estate where different historical periods intertwine and overlap. Telling us about the eras and events that have affected this place is the structure of the building itself.
Looking at it, looming at the top of the hill, you will be able to notice to the west the long portion of the building, with the stone wall face, with pre-Renaissance features. Toward the east you will instead see the sixteenth-century double loggia which opens onto the inner courtyard enclosed by a wall that retains the crenelated profile probably rebuilt in the 15th century.
The low circular bastion to the south, which symbolically embraces and unites the elevations of the two buildings, is instead from the seventeenth century.
Opposite the main building you will be able to observe another lower building with one façade facing the courtyard and another overlooking Caorame stream.
Even the interior rooms, as well as the exterior, reflect the complexity of the ups and down of construction of the building that brings to mind different historical eras.
Curiosities
- When Feltre was looted and destroyed during the barbarian invasions, the bishop’s most powerful feudal families, such as the Lusa family, left the city and went to live in the countryside, turning their homes into fortresses.
- The initial defensive function of Lusa Castle ended in 1421 when Venice ordered that all existing fortifications in the territory of Feltre be destroyed or turned into residences.
- Today Castel Lusa is a private home where the Centre for Documentation dedicated to ancient craft techniques is situated. You can also walk to the villa on the scenic Lusa Castle Loop.
