Via Ripa Castello

A suggestive glimpse into the historic center of Castiglione is offered by the ancient access road to the castle. It is the climb that begins in Piazza Dallò next to the fountain with a mask and which still retains the typical seventeenth-century cobblestones. The old name of the street, Rizzato degli Sgherri, and that of the fountain, Fontanino delle Prigioni, recall that the prison was once located here: the building on the right was the wing of the Prince’s Palace, used for this purpose.
The patriot Tito Speri also passed through this prison, renovated in the 18th century during the first Austrian domination, before being taken to Mantua and hanged on the walls of Belfiore. Another reminder of the Risorgimento is found at the top of the street, where the monument to Giovanni Chiassi was placed, the engineer from Castiglione who was Garibaldi’s colonel and died in the battle of Bezzecca.