In the heart of the Valpolicella Classica, one of the most famous Italian wine regions, on the top of the highest hill in the village of Castelrotto, is Villa Fraccaroli, one of the oldest residences in the area which has come back to life with the opening of the Castrum Relais & Events.

Casa Fraccaroili is a jewel of 18th century Italian classical architecture that stands out for its majestic panoramic terrace from which you can admire the entire valley and the peaks of the Lessinia mountains in a single glance.

Structure
From the castle we watch over the entire Valpolicella

Castrum means Castle because we are in Castelrotto, a village built on the top of the Valpolicella to be able to observe it from above and the birthplace of the renowned sculptor Innocenzo Fraccaroli, born in 1805 in Villa Fraccaroli, the current location of our Wine Relais.

The estate borders the Castle area, an area that is currently closed to the public but which we hope to see soon come back to life as a possible space for cultural events.

Today the Castrum Relais covers an area of 10,000 square meters and offers 6 rooms and 6 suites obtained from the 18th century Villa that hosts us, one of the most evocative terraces of Valpolicella, a cellar with its own wines, the Wine Bar & Bistrò and a small olive grove.

Innocenzo Fraccaroli
The Canova of Verona

The Fraccaroli family was the first to settle in this area by building the villa of the same name at the end of the 18th century. The descendants of the family have proudly kept the name Casa Fraccaroli to honor Innocenzo Fraccaroli, an internationally renowned sculptor also known as the “Canova of Verona” and who was born in this villa.

Awarded the first prize of the Brera Academy of Milan for his first works, the sculptor Fraccaroli is known all over the world for his works inspired by Greek mythology and which in turn inspired the style of our suites and labels of our wines.

In the church of Castelrotto, the town where the Castrum stands, the plaster models of Justice and Mercy are still preserved, whose marbles "great beyond the real" are found in the Bergamo cathedral in the chapel of the Redeemer.

Cultural heritage
in wine and spaces

Today the Castrum Relais is the result of an important cultural and artistic legacy that the sculptor Innocenzo Fraccaroli left us and that we of the Borghetti family recall in the spaces and showcase in our communication starting from the logo to the labels on the wine bottles. . This is how we transform our wine production into a sort of alternative art gallery in homage to Canova from Verona.

Paolo Borghetti, father of the current owner Giampiero, began producing wines in Valpolicella in 1980 using the classic method of winemaking always accompanied by his personal touch. Today the Castrum Relais houses the Giampiero Borghetti winery where guests can immerse themselves in the art of Valpolicella Classico wine and that of the sculptor Fraccaroli.

ROOMS AND SUITES

You can choose between 6 rooms and 6 suites distributed between the central body of the structure and the two floors of Casa Fraccaroli. Their names tell the rhythms of the countryside and grapes: Spring, June, August, Harvest, Drying, Secret Cellars.

Rooms
In the Castello area

The double or twin superior rooms are accessed from the Castello di Castelrotto area. They are all large and 4 of them offer the possibility of setting up an extra bed.
Some face north towards the valley, others towards the village of Castelrotto.

Equipped with air conditioning, coffee / tea machine with pods, minibar with courtesy water and safe.
Already in the corridor you will find a taste of the local culture: our geographical map in wrought iron shows you the five characteristic places of the Valpolicella Classica: San Pietro in Cariano, Sant’Ambrogio, Fumane, Marano, Negrar.

And the photographs on the walls of the rooms tell the seasonality of the wine of our valley:
from the green of the vineyards during the month of April, to the production and storage in the cellars of the area, up to the moment in which Amarone is born, the crowning glory of the skilful work of wine producers.

Rooms of different cut but with the same spirit: make you feel good with a superior level of comfort

Breakfast

You can have breakfast on our large panoramic terrace or in the internal room overlooking the terrace and you can choose between sweet and savory products. Continental buffet breakfast

The Suites
In the Fraccaroli house

From the beginning of 2023 you can choose between 6 thematic suites, 5 dedicated to the great sculptor INNOCENZO FRACCAROLI born in this house in 1805 and 1 suite dedicated to grandmother Argene who lived in the same house.

The first five are furnished and designed to evoke the artist's works as well as their name:
ACHILLE Suite, JUSTICE Suite, DAVIDE Suite, ICARO Suite, CLIZIA Suite

The most surprising is the Achille Suite on the second floor of the Villa: two bedrooms, a large living room with high ceilings, view on the three sides of the house.

The most original and mysterious is the Argene Fraccaroli Suite on the first floor of the villa, furnished in the typical style of the Veneto country houses.

Giampiero Borghetti, her owner, remembers that grandmother Argene lived right here, preparing dinner for her family every day and listening to the stories of her loved ones with her unforgettable, warm smile.