Bojnice Castle (Slovakia)

One of the most picturesque castles in Slovakia is without a doubt the Bojnice castle. A 182 km from the capital Bratislava, this beautiful fortress shrouded by the romanticism really deserves the trip: the impressive medieval structure has both Gothic and Renaissance elements in a perfect combination for a fairytale setting enough to be chosen for the filming of Fantaghirò.

Known since 1113, its walls are modeled to the rocky terrain on which it was built from a first wooden structure, it has been repeatedly bought by noble families that have imposed whenever their artistic taste. The current fashion, by all French flavor as it recalls the castles on the Loire, is due to the profound and complex reconstruction ordered by Count Palffy, a great collector of antiques, works of art, sculptures and tapestries, in the late nineteenth century.

In 1950 a fire developing in the structure that came out torn: it was the Slovak government to put their wallets to restore its former glory and turn it into a museum. The castle is also famous for the International Festival of ghosts and spirits and the summer music festival.