Bornato Castle — Attraction in Cazzago San Martino

We booked a tour of the castle with wine tasting, 18 May 2024, to coincide with the Boranto Flower Festival. More on that in a minute.

The castle is imposing, originally built in medieval times and updated through the years as various families took possession. Our guide, Giorgia, was great. She had good English and took us around the older parts of the castle, the newer 15th century villa, and the lower parts where they used to make and bottle wine. She explained the history of the castle well and brought to life some of the characters who had lived there. Overall, it is an interesting slice of Italian history. No blood-curdling tales of debauchery, just stories of regular castle dwelling folk, their influence, and an occasional reference to Dante. A pleasant way to spend the late morning.

The tour was rounded off with the opportunity to taste some of the wine they make. The wine is only available in the castle and affiliated restaurant. At 30 Euros, the Brut is excellent value for money. We would have happily bought a case if we could have taken it on the plane with us. Such is life.

The flower festival, as the name suggests, was all about flowers. It was held in the castle grounds and also had a variety of stalls selling all sorts of locally curated food and other products. We bought wild boar salami, honey, lavender soap and a bunch of other things. We thoroughly enjoyed a few hours walking around, until we had to leave to catch our train. Had we known more about it, we would have probably stayed longer, as it looked like they were setting up entertainment.

There are regular trains from Milan to Bescia and then Bornato, taking just over an hour. An easy trip for a...

🍝 - Food: 4/5 🛎️ - Service 5/5 📍 - Location & atmosphere 4/5

My family and I had the pleasure of spending a couple of nights at "La Dama Bianca" in Bornato, right in the heart of the beautiful Franciacorta region.

The location is easy to access, though it doesn't have a dedicated parking area; however, we found plenty of space to park our cars along the side of the road without any issues. Its location is strategic for moving around the area.

The rooms were quite comfortable, with furnishings that perfectly matched the charming countryside setting and in the need for some renew adjustments. That said, our room was on the second floor, making it a bit challenging to haul up and down the mountain of luggage that comes with a family of four.

We really enjoyed our stay, particularly due to the stunning garden where our kids had a fantastic time playing. One of the highlights of our visit was participating in the "Cena Sotto le Stelle," an event organized by the restaurant, which featured a lovely dinner in the vineyard accompanied by two talented artists performing pop and rock covers. The food was delicious, and the barbecue offerings were outstanding. We had a wonderful evening, and thanks to the attentive staff, our kids had the freedom to play while we savored our meal.

Of course, we couldn't resist trying their Franciacorta wine offer, and, just like in other places in this region, we completely fell in love with them.

As a minor note, we had expected a different style of breakfast, but the staff graciously apologized and took it off the bill for us. I consider this a sign of respect and...

Castello di Bornato

Un rarissimo esempio di villa rinascimentale costruita all’interno di un castello medioevale. E’ questo il Castello di Bornato e la Villa Orlando che, in una posizione panoramica, domina le dolci colline di Franciacorta, rinomate in tutto il mondo per l’eccellenza della produzione vinicola. Di proprietà della famiglia Orlando fin dal 1930 è abitato ancora oggi dalla famiglia. Nelle antiche cantine ubicate sotto la torre principale del castello, per 700 anni si è prodotto il vino del Castello di Bornato, fino ai primi anni 2000. All’esterno è presente un parco secolare, con gun giardino all’italiana nel lato sud e uno all’inglese verso nord. Cedri del Libano, cedri deodara, ginkgo biloba e una rarissima sophora japonica di 200 anni, unico esemplare sopravvissuto dei primi importati in Europa alla fine del 1700. La visita è guidata dal responsabile molto colto, cortese e disponibile a far visitare l'interno mentre la'abitazione del proprietario è privata. Dal castello si vede tutto il bel panorama della Franciacorta circostante che nel frattempo invita a una bella passeggiata nei dintorni. Il piccolo paese di Bornato di cui fa parte è piccolo, molto carino ed accogliente.

Castle of Bornato

A very rare example of a Renaissance villa built inside a medieval castle. This is the Castello di Bornato and the Villa Orlando which, in a panoramic position, dominates the gentle hills of Franciacorta, renowned all over the world for the excellence of the wine production. Owned by the Orlando family since 1930 it is still inhabited by the family today. In the ancient cellars located under the main tower of the castle, for 700 years the wine of the Bornato Castle was produced, until the early 2000s. Outside there is a centuries-old park, with an Italian garden gun on the south side and an English facing north. Cedars of Lebanon, cedar deodaras, ginkgo biloba and a rare 200-year-old sophora japonica, the only surviving specimen of the first imported in Europe in the late 1700s. The visit is led by the manager very cultured, courteous and available to visit the interior while the owner's home is private. From the castle you can see all the beautiful landscape of the surrounding Franciacorta that in the meantime invites you to a nice walk in the surroundings. The small town of Bornato of which it is a part is small, very nice...