ABSTRACT
The Castelvecchio, or ‘old castle’, of Verona was built between 1354 and 1356 by Cangrande II della Scala as a military construction to defend the northern entrance to the city from the Adage River. The Castelvecchio has long retained its military function but has been altered several times throughout its history. In 1779, Napoleon’s troops occupied the castle and constructed barracks and a staircase along the medieval city wall. Carlo Scarpa’s approach to the Castelvecchio is most apparent in his intervention on the junction between the north wing and the Torre del Mastio and communal wall west of the site. To protect the statue from weather conditions, Scarpa creates a new roof as an extension of the roof of the west wing. Scarpa’s concept for the design of the exhibition gallery is most remarkable on the ground floor of the west wing. The juxtaposition of different historical layers is also applied in the finishing of the facades and interiors.
