Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista - Castello

The church of Castello, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist – 19th century – dominates the entire valley. Built between 1808 and 1812 on the ruins of the old castle. Inside, one can admire a series of paintings depicting the life of the Baptist and an important altarpiece by Bartolomeo Montagna depicting the Madonna with Child between Saint Anthony of Padua and Saint John the Evangelist.

The architectural analysis of the discovered artifacts and the related architectural study of the foundation structures indicate that the first construction of the castle is attributed to the 12th century. It is indeed in the central years of the 1100s that the Malacappella family, invested with the fief of San Giovanni Ilarione, appears in the Val d'Alpone. The primitive church, which was much smaller than the current one, was 'embedded', meaning it formed an element within the walls, together with the dongione, a building intended for residential purposes.

The basalt hill on which the church stands is one of the most panoramic places in Val d'Alpone; to the north, the characteristic conical heights of ancient volcanoes can be seen, among which the purga of Bolca stands out with its fossil museum and the famous fish quarry, a favored destination for paleontologists from around the world; all around, the crests of the Lessini mountains rise, often capped with snow, closing the horizon; to the south, the view expands well beyond the valley's borders and stretches toward the Po plain.

Next to the church, in some rooms, there is an area designated as a museum where numerous canvases and various liturgical and devotional objects are collected.

Among the other attractions are the bell tower and Bunker 44, consisting of a series of underground rooms located 14 meters below the floor level of the church above and connected to one another, with 4 lateral exits. Built between April and November 1944 by Todt workers, it was hastily buried in 1948. Rediscovered in 2018, it underwent a long restoration process to bring it back to light and make it visitable.