Castello Dal Pozzo

The history of Castello Dal Pozzo is as unique as its luxurious surroundings, its gourmet restaurant and the attentive service you will receive during your visit to this captivating resort.

The romantic castle, originally built as a fortress by the Visconti family in the 11th century, came into the possession of the Dal Pozzo family in the 19th century, who renovated it and have inhabited it for six generations. Adorned with antique furniture and sumptuous fabrics, this boutique hotel with its 45 rooms resembles more of a private residence with all the high standards of a 5-star luxury hotel.

Whether you are celebrating a wedding, a corporate event, a honeymoon, an anniversary or a romantic weekend, Castello Dal Pozzo guarantees an unparalleled and intimate experience at this elegant destination. The resort is located just 2 km from Lake Maggiore, 29 km from Malpensa International Airport and 60 km from Milan.

The history of Castello dal Pozzo
The history of the municipality of Oleggio Castello in the province of Novara and of the ancient residence formerly owned by the Marquises Dal Pozzo d’Annone is a thousand-year-old tale that began back in the 900s. It is said that a Roman ‘castrum’ or camp was stationed here, occupied by the V Legion. This military encampment, named Q. Legio, from which the name Olegio derives, was renamed Oleggio Castello in 1186, in honour of the Visconti building which was constructed here around the year 1000. The Visconti family embarked on its bid to take dominion of the Lordship of Milan around 1200 from these very shores, and indeed succeeded in their mission in 1277. In the absence of its rulers, the poorly defended castle was subjected to multiple attacks, intrusions and fires over the centuries that followed, resulting in its partial destruction.

Around the mid-18th century, the descendants of the Visconti family, now named Aragon as a result of a concession granted by King Ferdinand of Naples in 1462, built a residential home here, restoring what by then had become a castle in ruins. Marquis Alberto Visconti d’Aragona was implicated for his active participation in the Carbonari uprisings around 1830. He was sentenced to death for this crime and his property was confiscated. The property then passed to his sister, the wife of Bonifazio dal Pozzo d’Annone, who was originally from the Piedmont region.

Their son Claudio, who was passionate about art and architecture, and who was particularly interested in the “Gothic Revival” movement of Augustus Pugin, renovated the property with the help of English architect Richard Poppelwell Pullan, transforming it into a Victorian neo-Gothic castle surrounded by a majestic and evocative park. Next to it stands the 18th-century Palazzo with its Italian-style Garden.

The resort has recently been expanded and the old stables and adjacent farmhouses have been incorporated into the complex. It was here in the Palazzo, that Alberto, the last descendant of the Visconti d’Aragona family, lived out his final years after being pardoned for his involvement in the Carbonari uprisings. Following his death and that of his wife Luigia Monticelli Obizzi, the Palazzo became a refuge and home for many local families in the decades that followed and during both.

World Wars. Later, when Oleggio Castello became an autonomous municipality separate from Paruzzaro, the Palazzo, by concession of the Dal Pozzo family, temporarily housed the local school. It was then abandoned and fell into ruin before being completely renovated and opened to the public in 2010.

Places of interest in the vicinity
The Borromeo Islands, the Statue of San Carlo, Mottarone, Lake Orta, Lake Maggiore, Ticino Natural Park.